Highway to Hell
by nikipinz
Summary: Buffy AU femmeslash. Having served sixteen years for murder, Faith is finally released from prison. She goes to Los Angeles, where Buffy and her friends are living, hoping to find a way to make up for what she did in Sunnydale. But will Buffy let her?
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a Buffy the Vampire Slayer fanfic. However, there are a few differences and/or clarifications from canon that I thought I should lay out before folks start reading the fic, or some things won't make sense. (For those of you familiar with the Buffyverse.)**

**1. In canon, Faith helped Buffy and the Scoobies defeat the First. In this fic, she was left in prison to serve her 15-years-to-life by Buffy and Giles, who decided that she would be more of a liability than an asset. Therefore, Buffy never forgave Faith in this fic, nor did Faith help out in that final battle. Faith's anathema. (To Buffy, anyway.)**

**2. I've made some adjustments to the vampires of the Buffyverse. **

**a. In this story, vampires don't automatically know kung fu the instant they rise from the dead (because really, why the fuck would they?) They do still have supernatural strength, speed and agility, however. **

**b. Also, I've added the concept of a vampire Mate, which is (in a nutshell) a human chosen by a vampire as a sex partner and blood donor. The human essentially becomes a thrall in that situation, unable to go against the will of the vampire who Marked them. (Translation - bit 'em in the neck.) I don't know if that concept will come into this particular story. We'll see. **

**c. Also, vampires in this fic require fresh human blood to stay healthy. This is arbitrary by me.**

**d. Lastly, since the physical state of vampires in the Buffyverse is unclear, I've arbitrarily decided that they don't need to breathe, but their hearts beat. So there. XD**

**3. I've also added the idea (a la Blade) that there are humans who align themselves with vampire/demon clans, and become tattooed slaves. Again, not sure how much that'll come into this particular story. We shall see. (Mwahaha.)**

**4. In this fic, Faith has a secret unrequited crush on Buffy. Although that isn't so hugely out of canon, really. Serious subtext in that whole Buffy/Faith dynamic, if you ask me. Like that bit where Buffy jokes about dating her, and the scene where Faith pulls Buffy out of class, and that scene where they're dancing together at the Bronze. For example.**

**Ahem. ANYway, I think that's it. On with our story. (Yes! On with our story!) (A cookie to whoever got that incredibly lame reference. XD )**

It was another typical Los Angeles June day – hot and dry. The sky had been gray and gloomy that morning, but there was no sign of clouds now. The streets were relatively empty – for Los Angeles, that is – with the lunch rush having ended an hour or so ago, and rush hour proper not due to begin for another forty-five minutes. Most of the people walking the streets seemed to be in a hurry to get from one place to another.

There was an exception, though. On the east side of the street, a young woman was leaning on a parked Harley Davidson motorcycle and smoking a cigarette. She was dressed in leather pants and a tank top, with a very old and worn-looking black leather vest overtop. She was fairly tall and muscular, with sloe-dark eyes and thick brown hair that was currently cropped short at her neck, but shaggy enough at the top to hang over the bridge of her finely shaped nose. Her arms were tattooed from her shoulders to her elbows, and there was an inked snake wrapped around her lower left leg. She reached into her vest pocket with one hand and skilfully extracted another cigarette from the pack that lay inside. Lighting it from the smouldering end of the one between her full, pouting lips, she flicked the old one away and tucked the new one in its place with a negligent ease that spoke of long practice. Her gaze never left the bookstore across the street.

After a while she seemed to grow impatient. She scowled to herself and fumbled in another pocket, withdrawing a much-folded and dog-eared piece of paper. "I'm sure this is the damn place," she muttered to herself in a rich, husky voice. She studied the address on the page and looked up at the bookstore again. "Yep. _Niveus Lacuna Bookstore_...it's the right joint." With a sigh, she tucked the paper away carefully again and resumed her vigil, smoking with studied intensity. "Patience, Faith," she mumbled. "Patience. It's been sixteen damn years. Another ten minutes won't kill you."

Movement. The woman's gaze sharpened as she watched the store. A minute or two later, the door opened, and a slender, red-haired woman came out. Faith flicked away her cigarette, glanced both ways, and calmly jaywalked across it. She reached the opposite walk just as the redhead finished locking the bookstore's front door. She seemed to sense Faith's presence, because she turned toward her abruptly. There was silence for a moment. "Can I…help you?" the redhead said uncertainly.

Faith gave a wry grin that revealed rather fetching dimples. "Probably not, Red. But hell, can't blame a girl for trying, right?"

The woman's green eyes widened in shock and sudden recognition. She took a quick step backward and raised one hand in a defensive gesture. There was silence for a moment. "…Faith?"

"Yo, Willow. Relax. I ain't here to hurt anybody." The dark woman eyed the redhead with a look that was supposed to be coolly nonchalant, but which held more than a hint of uncertainty and wistfulness. "Listen, I know you're probably wicked busy, but I thought maybe we could talk. Grab a beer or whatever."

"God, I…well, yeah. Yeah, okay." Willow looked stunned. She slowly lowered her arm. "I mean, I was planning on grabbing a pizza somewhere and taking it home and watching about six hours of movies, but that wasn't a serious appointment or anything. Plans can change, right? Especially when Faith Lehane drops out of the clear sky and lands in Los Angeles and wants beer. Do you really want beer? We can do something else if you want. I mean, my God, we haven't…I mean, we thought you were…"

"Still in jail. Yeah." Faith shrugged and flicked away the butt of her cigarette with a long fingernail. "I figured." The silence that followed was awkward. Faith shifted her shoulders uncomfortably to settle her leather vest over her shoulders. "So we going, or what? It's not like I know this place well enough yet to suggest a spot, y'know."

The question seemed to shake Willow out of her trance. "Um, yes. Of course. There's a pub just over here. C'mon."

The two of them didn't really speak until they were seated at a table at the pub. Their drinks arrived shortly afterward, along with a basket of wings and another of short ribs. Faith immediately sank her teeth into a rib and washed her mouthful down with a long swig of dark lager. Willow took a daintier sip of her own beer. "So, um…what brings you out to LA, Faith?"

The brunette didn't answer right away. She ate another bite of spiced meat. "Dunno, really. Finished serving my time, got out. Figured I'd look some folks up before I rode off into the sunset or whatever." Another bite. "Found out you and B and the brat wound up in the area. Thought maybe I'd drop by and say yo."

"Yeah?" Willow rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "Were you hoping to get back into slaying? Because I don't know if…"

"Not officially. Not yet." Faith's dark eyes flickered. "Don't think I don't know, a'right? I ain't earned it. I know that." She discarded a fleshless rib bone and reached for an untouched one. "I wanted to look up B and Dawn later, but I thought I'd start with you. Figured you'd be the least likely to try and stake me on sight."

The redhead gave a nervous laugh at this. "Buffy wouldn't stake you. All that stuff went down a long time ago…I mean, it happened, but she wouldn't hold that against you that much now. Especially since you did your, uh…time."

"Yeah." Faith didn't sound convinced. She methodically stripped the second rib of its flesh and laid it aside in favor of a chicken wing. "So, you still doing the witchy-poo thing?"

"I'm a Watcher now, with the new Council," Willow said with dignity. "And yes, I'm still a witch."

"Still with that Kennedy chick? She sounds like she's pretty cool." The dark-eyed girl took another swig of her lager.

"No." The redhead gazed at her quietly. "Kennedy died two years ago when the new Hellmouth opened up here in LA."

Faith stopped eating and looked at her. "God, I'm sorry, Red," she said. "I knew Giles got killed in all that, but I never heard about her. Jesus." There was a pause. "Are you, uh…okay about that?"

"Thanks. It's better than it was," Willow said. Then she gave Faith an odd look. "Where'd you hear about that? And come to think of it, how'd you find us all, anyway? We're unlisted. All Watchers and Slayers are now. And you didn't go through any of the official channels, I'd have heard something."

The dark woman scratched her ear. "Yeah. I didn't jump through the usual hoops. I'm still not so big on following rules," she said. Her eyes stayed on the tabletop, unable or unwilling to meet Willow's. "And, uh, Red…you don't have to worry about the demon guy who killed Giles and Ken," she said quietly. "I took care of that little problem for you in New York last month."

Willow put down her tankard and stared at Faith with her mouth open. "You did?" she squeaked. "You killed Mastema? How? We've been tracking him for months. Even my magic couldn't find him!"

Faith shrugged. "Sometimes makes things easier if you don't gotta use the approved methods. What can I say?" She finished her dark beer in one long gulp. "I wasn't what you'd call a huge Giles fan, but I knew him and B were tight. Figured she'd get more sleep at night if I rubbed out the bastard who iced him." She toyed with her empty mug. "Guess it's bonus that I helped you out, too."

"Faith." Willow's voice shook. "Thank you."

"Yeah. You're welcome. Whatever." The brunette shrugged, obviously uncomfortable. She glanced at her companion through her fringe of spiky dark hair. "Figured I'd try to do a few good things in my life. Balance some shit out. Might get me an upgrade in Hell or something. Maybe a few less red-hot pitchforks up my ass."

There was silence for a while. Faith finished most of the ribs and wings during it. "Do you have a place to stay?" Willow asked softly. "I mean, while you're here?"

"Nah. Not really. Crashed in a hostel or two." Faith shrugged a shoulder. "I been in worse rat traps."

"Then you're coming home with me," Willow said decisively. "I've got an extra bedroom." Then, seeing the doubt in the other woman's dark eyes, "Please, Faith? I mean, come on, you got the demon that's been tying my stomach in knots ever since Kennedy died. You've gotta let me do something for you. And besides, I'm the head Watcher in this city. I'm responsible for the Slayers, whether they're active or not."

The dusky woman folded her hands on the table and stared down at them. "You're okay with an ex-con in your house?" she said quietly.

"I'm okay with Faith Lehane in my house." Willow's voice was gentle.

Faith cleared her throat. "All right, then," she said gruffly. "Listen, I gotta go get my bag. I don't have much luggage, but I like to hang on to what I've got."

"Do you need a ride?" Willow asked. "My car's parked in the lot just around the corner."

"Nah. It's okay, it's close by. I'll meet you by your wheels." Faith got up and tossed a ten dollar bill on the table. "Thanks, Red." Before the redhead could respond, the brunette turned and headed for the door.

Faith threaded her way through the commuters on the sidewalk and made her way back to her motorcycle. She opened a compartment and lifted out a dusty green duffel bag, then slung it on her shoulder. Her dark eyes regarded the vehicle with regret. "I'd sure like to keep the wheels," she muttered to herself, "but I bet their owner's noticed they're gone by now. Better not to get mixed up with that shit." She tugged some keys out of the pocket of her cutoffs and tossed them on the Harley's leather seat. With that, she turned away and headed for the parking lot Willow had mentioned.

The redhead was waiting by a little blue Toyota. She gave Faith a nervous smile as the dark woman approached. Faith jerked her head in a nod, and they both got in the car. It smelled of suntan lotion and pine scented air freshener. Faith cranked down a window and started the air conditioner against the heat as Willow pulled the car out of the parking lot and into the steady stream of Los Angeles traffic.

Neither of them really said much as Willow drove out of downtown LA and into the suburbs. They were heading toward the ocean, Faith noted. She could just make out the water in the distance by the time the witch pulled into a driveway and turned off the motor. Faith got out and looked at the place while Faith locked the vehicle. It was a nice little house with white stucco and dark trim. It looked like a two- or three-bedroom. Faith guessed Willow had probably gotten it with Kennedy. "Nice crib."

"Thanks." The redhead darted her a quiet smile as she stuck her key in the front door. "It's not the Taj Mahal, but it's home." The entryway led into a hall, with a kitchen to the left, a bathroom to the right, and a living room directly ahead. An alcove with a flight of stairs rested between the bathroom and the living room. Willow pointed at the steps. "The first bedroom on the right upstairs is mine. You can crash in the other one," she said. "It's got an en-suite bathroom that can be yours while you're here."

The brunette shifted her weight. "Uh, thanks." She darted a glance at the stairs. "I guess I'll go toss my stuff in there, then."

"Sure." Willow hung her keys on a peg in the wall and nodded. "I'm going to order some pizza for supper. You can grab some of that, or do what you want." She paused. "You can use the phone if you like, too. You know, in case you want to…call anyone."

Faith looked down at the floor. "Yeah. Thanks. Maybe I will in a bit." There was a pause. "Later, Red." She settled her duffel bag over her shoulder and headed up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

The bedroom was nice. It was much more feminine than anything Faith would have chosen on her own, but it was clean, and the linens on the double bed smelled fresh. There was a closet that was bare except for an empty shoebox and a handful of wire hangers. Faith opened her duffel bag, took out a t-shirt, a black leather jacket, and a black hoodie, and hung them on the hangers. A pair of folded denim cutoffs went on the shelf, and the now-empty duffel back was tossed in beside it. With her worldly possessions put away, Faith went to the window, pulled it open, and seated herself on the frame. She pulled out a cigarette and her lighter as she took in her surroundings.

It was suburbia. The houses were nice and well-kept, the yards neatly trimmed and dotted with weeded flowerbeds. The ocean was a silver-blue line on the horizon, broken at intervals by white forests of sticks that were the masts of docked sailboats. It was clean and bright and respectable. It was everything that Faith wasn't. The woman's full lips curved just a bit as she lit her cigarette and took a long drag. "Well, this probably won't last long," she murmured. "You better enjoy it while you've got it, Lehane." She unfolded her bit of paper and studied it. A name – a phone number. She sighed and tucked it away again and took another breath of tobacco smoke.

_Later. Gotta work myself up to that one first._ And her dark, moody eyes moved back out to study the cheerful landscape.


	2. Chapter 2

It was interesting to wake up in the morning and not be staring at the gray concrete wall of the cell she'd lived in for fifteen years. Faith gazed at the faintly pink wallpaper and the half-open window with rueful affection. A room, with a bed, in a house – that was something she hadn't woken up to in well over twenty years. She rolled onto her back and looked up at the ceiling as she stretched. Then she rolled onto her feet and went into the bathroom. It was bright and cheerful. A packaged toothbrush and a new tube of toothpaste rested by the sink, left there by her considerate hostess. Faith ignored them for the moment in favor of a quick, hot shower.

That was another thing she hadn't quite gotten used to yet – private showers. It was weird to wash herself without another fifty women in the room. Weird, but nice. She sniffed at the shampoo, hesitated at the floral scent, then shrugged and used it. A quick scrub and brushing of her teeth later, Faith was back in her room. She put on her denim cutoffs and her black t-shirt. Thus attired, the dark woman headed downstairs.

A rather tousled Willow was sitting on a barstool at her kitchen island, munching on a bowl of colorful, sugary cereal. She was dressed in a white tank top and what looked like pink silk boxer shorts. Her green eyes widened a bit as Faith entered. "Hey. I didn't expect you to be up so early."

"Six a.m. wakeup call every morning in the clink," Faith shrugged. "Guess I got in the habit."

"Oh. Right. I guess I never thought about it." Willow looked uncomfortable for a moment. Then she pointed at a cupboard with her spoon. "Pull up a bowl, help yourself. There's bread if you want toast, and I made coffee."

"Real coffee?" Faith said hopefully, reaching out to examine the bag that rested by the coffee maker. "Not generic stuff, or decaf?"

Willow snorted. "You kidding? No way. That stuff's prime. Costs like six times as much as the other brands, but it's so worth it. And _so_ not decaf, it can make me loopy for hours. Go ahead and try it."

"Sign me up, babe. Prison coffee's like dog crap filtered through sweaty gym socks. I swear that's, like, half the punishment of being there. And the other half's the complete lack of booze." Faith poured herself a cup, added enough sugar to induce diabetic coma, and sat down across from her hostess. She took a sip of her beverage and groaned. "Oh, God, this stuff's awesome!"

"Told you." The witch smirked at her. "So, you got any plans for today, Faith?"

"A few." The dark woman rubbed her ear. "I gotta set up something with a probation officer if I'm gonna stay here in LA, and start looking for work, maybe."

Willow finished her cereal. "Are you going to call her?" she asked gently. Faith's jaw tightened just a little. "Because I'm Buffy's best friend, you know, and we work together. We talk every day. I can't hide the fact that you're here."

"No. I wouldn't ask you to, Red, even if I thought you'd do it." Faith took another mouthful of coffee. "I'll call her." The dark woman's lips curved. "I just hope you're right about the whole 'B isn't gonna stake me right off the bat' thing. It'd kind of suck to finally get released and come all the way here just to get capped like that."

"She isn't going to…erm…"cap" you. Buffy doesn't trust you, but she's not that unreasonable. Just make sure you've talked to her before you try to make contact with Dawn, though, all right? Buffy's pretty protective of little sis."

"Still, huh?" Faith gave Willow a crooked grin, showing off one of her dimples. "I shoulda figured. Some things never change. Yeah, I'll call her." The dark woman sipped her steaming drink. "I heard B's married now. Some Irish guy. And she's got a kid."

The witch nodded. "Yeah. She met Brian about a year after you went back to jail, and Hope was born about a year after that." Willow paused. "Hope's going to be a Slayer."

"I know." Faith set down her coffee and went to get herself a bowl and a spoon. "But that was a given, wasn't it? Any Slayer as kickass as B couldn't have an ungifted kid. It'd be against the laws of nature, or something." She cocked a brow at Willow. "Is the squirt as good at staking vamps as her mom is?" she asked.

"It's hard to say," Willow said primly. "She's only thirteen, after all. It's not like we've let her attack any hellspawn yet." She paused. "Hope's pretty good," she admitted. "She's a lot cockier than her mother, though. I kind of hope that doesn't get her into trouble later."

Faith poured herself some cereal. "It probably will. Just have to hope it ain't big trouble." Silence fell, a silence full of painful, unspoken memories. Faith began to eat. She didn't look at Willow.

The redhead sighed. "Look," she said at length, "Buffy won't go all stake-happy on you, but she isn't going to like that you're here. Probably Dawn won't, either. There's going to be some fallout, Faith. You know, a lot of unpleasantness…with the things being said, and the old stuff being dredged up, and all like that."

"I know." Faith didn't lift her eyes.

"It might get kind of ugly." Willow's voice was gentle.

The dark-haired woman shrugged. "Ain't anything I haven't seen before. And it ain't like I don't deserve it." She took another bite of cereal. "I'm a big girl. I can take it."

"Okay. Just as long as you don't go in there thinking they'll just welcome you back with open arms. It'll probably take them a while to get used to your being back." The witch gathered up her dishes.

Faith nodded. "I know." There was silence for a while. "Thanks for being so cool with me, Red," the dark woman said gruffly. "You didn't have to be. I hope you don't catch flack for it."

Willow dumped her dishes in the sink and gave Faith a grin and a shrug. "You're welcome. And if I get flack, then I get flack. I'm a big girl too, you know." She turned away. "I have to get moving, I'm due to open the bookstore in an hour. There's a spare key under the cactus in the back. Lock up when you leave, all right?" The dark woman nodded, and Willow left the kitchen.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Faith sighed and rubbed her face. She poured herself another fifth of the Jack Daniels she'd bought and downed it in one gulp. Then she rested her head on her hand and glared at the phone. She'd been sitting at Willow's kitchen island for the last hour, trying to work up the courage to make her call. "C'mon, Lehane," she muttered. "Just do it already, before you get so drunk you can't remember how to dial a phone." She consulted her dogeared piece of paper and punched the number in. Then, gingerly, she held the phone to her ear.

One ring. Two. Three. Faith was just about to hang up with a sigh of relief when she heard a soft click. Her mouth went bone dry. "Hey, it's Buffy. Talk to me." The voice was still the same. Sixteen years, and Faith would have known it anywhere. She stared sightlessly at the wall as her palms grew clammy. "Hello?"

The dark woman took a deep breath. "Yo, B. 'Sup?"

There was a beat of profound silence. "Faith?" Buffy's voice sounded suddenly weak. "What the…why's Will on my call display?"

"Um." Faith scratched her ear. "…Surprise?"

"What the hell's going on?" The voice on the phone grew louder, angrier. "Faith, where are you calling from? Why are you calling me?"

_Well. We're off to a great start._ Faith rubbed her eyes. "I'm in LA. Got released last month. Figured I'd drop in, since I was in town. You know, catch up on old times, stuff like that."

"Where are you? What do you want?" Buffy now sounded furious. "And how in the hell did you get my number, anyway?"

There was no point in lying. Faith rested her arm on the counter and leaned on it heavily. "I'm crashing at Willow's pad," she said. "I don't really want anything, B. Just figured I should let you know I was around. Didn't want to just run into you on the street, y'know? Figured I owed you more than that."

"Who gave you this number?" Buffy's voice was hard. "Was it Willow? Because if it was, I swear to God…"

"Naw, B. The Willster's clean, straight up, yo." Faith sighed. "Look, it doesn't matter where I got it. I want to make shit up to you, a'right? Can we talk? I mean, really talk, not just rap over the phone."

Silence. "Fine." The word was clipped. "You want to talk, get Willow to bring you to our next Slayer meeting. As a prisoner. Until then, don't call me again, don't show up at my house, don't come anywhere near me or my family. Do you understand? If I see your face before then, so help me God, you'll regret it."

Faith closed her eyes. "I got it, B. See you then." The line went dead.

The dark woman very carefully set down the phone. Then, with the same deliberate movements, she started to drink again.


	3. Chapter 3

A blue Toyota pulled up to the curb in front of a small bookstore and disgorged two women onto the sidewalk, one with red hair, one with dark. Willow moved around the vehicle and looked at Faith. "Well," she said, "here we are." The dark Slayer wordlessly held something out. Willow looked at it for a moment. Then she sighed and rubbed her forehead. "This is stupid," she said fretfully.

"Yeah, kinda." Faith shrugged. "But I wanna talk to B, and she said prisoner. So you said you'd help me out, Red, remember?"

The witch grunted. "Okay, okay. Fine." She accepted the handcuffs and stuck the key in her pocket. "Give me your hands, then. But for the record, I think it's dumb. You could still beat people up easily with them on. You're a Slayer. There's no point in your even wearing them."

Faith held out her arms, and Willow cuffed her. The cold kiss of steel around Faith's wrists felt chillingly familiar. "It's the principle," the Slayer said, pushing back the uncomfortable memories. "B said she wouldn't talk to me unless I came here a prisoner. I'm in cuffs. Ain't no way I can be more 'prisoner' without wearin' the damn big house blues." She shrugged. "It's a…what'd my lawyer call it that one time? A show of good faith."

"I get it. I just think Buffy's being unreasonable." Willow sighed. "Well, come on, let's go in. We're supposed to be meeting here in half an hour, so I guess I'd better unlock the place and get it ready." She turned and unlocked the back door of _Niveus Lacuna_. Faith followed her inside and looked around. It looked like just a typical used book store, with shelves neatly labelled and books piled up everywhere. There was a sandy-colored carpet on the floor, and red upholstered chairs were scattered in amongst the bookcases. "Like it?" Willow asked.

The Slayer shrugged one shoulder and gave her a crooked grin. "Looks nice. It ain't the kinda place I usually hang, though."

"You should," the witch said seriously. "I bet you'd really like some of these." She crossed over to a shelf marked "Poetry" and ran her finger over the book spines. "Like this one, for example," she said, tugging one out. It looked old, with a red, leathery binding. Gold letters on its cover spelled out the title, but they were too faded for Faith to read at a distance. "This is a nice one," Willow went on. "It's called _Romantic Poets Throughout the Centuries. _It's got everything from Sappho to Shakespeare to Yeats. I think you'd enjoy it."

Faith arched a brow, looked down at herself, and back at the book. "No offense, Red, but what the hell'd I ever do t' make you think I'd be into all that thee and thou bullshit?"

Willow ignored her, flipping pages until she found what she wanted. She glanced at Faith. "Do you know who Sara Teasdale is?" The Slayer frowned and shook her head. "She was an American poet who lived around the turn of the century. She wrote some amazing things. Like this one, for example. It's called _Love and Death." _The witch cleared her throat and started to read.

"_Shall we, too, rise forgetful from our sleep,_

_And shall my soul that lies within your hand_

_Remember nothing, as the blowing sand_

_Forgets the palm where long blue shadows creep_

_When winds along the darkened desert sweep?_

_Or would it still remember, tho' it spanned_

_A thousand heavens, while the planets fanned_

_The vacant ether with their voices deep?_

_Soul of my soul, no word shall be forgot,_

_Nor yet alone, beloved, shall we see_

_The desolation of extinguished suns,_

_Nor fear the void wherethro' our planet runs._

_For still together shall we go and not_

_Fare forth alone to front eternity."_

Faith stared at the redhead, her heart filling with something like awe. She'd never heard anything like this before – the words like some beautiful song, only without any music other than the words themselves. And Willow's voice, powerful and expressive from years of chanting and spell work, carried the poem like deep ocean waves. The Slayer felt her breathing slow and her heart swell within her. _Wow, _she thought, trying to make sense of these new impressions. _That was…actually pretty cool._

Then she noticed that Willow was grinning at her. "Nice, isn't it?"

The Slayer recovered enough to give a somewhat convincing, nonchalant shrug. "It was okay, I guess. I've heard worse."

Willow laughed. "You're such a fraud. You loved it and you know it." She stuck the book of poetry into her purse. "I'm bringing it home for you. You'll see, you'll enjoy it."

"Well, I'm in cuffs. Can't exactly stop you," Faith said lightly.

"Oh, whatever. You big, tough street hood." The witch produced a key and unlocked a small, red door that was sandwiched between two bookshelves. "C'mon downstairs. That's where we do the official Slayer stuff. There's some comfortable chairs down there, and I can fix you some coffee."

The Slayer followed her down a short flight of stairs to another nondescript door. There was an electronic panel to the right. Willow pressed her palm against it; there was a buzz and click, and the door opened a crack. The witch pushed it the rest of the way and motioned for Faith to follow.

The room inside was a pleasant one, with cream-colored wallpaper, a wine red carpet on the floor, and various mismatched furniture. Shelves held old tomes, crystals, and a wide assortment of bottles and jars. There was a counter along one wall with a coffee maker on it. Willow gestured at the chairs as she went over to it. "Have a seat, Faith. You might as well get comfortable." The Slayer looked around, chose an overstuffed red armchair, and flopped herself over it. Her cuffed hands rested easily on her middle. She watched lazily as Willow measured coffee grounds into the machine and turned it on.

After a moment, Faith found her eyes drifting just a bit lower to rest on the seat of Willow's black jeans. The witch was wearing all black, from the neat toes of her polished boots to the black choker around her neck. Her shirt was lacy, with frills around the open neckline. Its tight sleeves were made of lace as well, showing teasing glimpses of the creamy skin underneath. The Slayer raised a brow, still watching Willow's shapely backside. _Huh. She's actually pretty hot now. Weird, when I think about what a little dweeb she was back in Sunnydale. _She could remember Willow Rosenberg as she was then – an awkward, mousey, freckled little thing with bony arms, a slight stutter and a nervous laugh. She'd been a brilliant hacker already, but Faith would never have given her a second glance.

Willow turned from the counter, where she'd been arranging cookies and chocolate covered donuts on a plate. "Would you like some coffee, Faith?"

The Slayer's dark eyes quickly moved up to the woman's face. She glanced at the fridge. "Coffee's all right. Do you have beer, though?" she asked hopefully.

The witch arched her brows. "Can't you go ten minutes without booze?"

"Sure I can," Faith said. "But I went sixteen years without, Red. I'm makin' up for lost time, here." She flashed the redhead her most charming smile. Willow rolled her eyes, sighed, and opened the refrigerator. A moment later, Faith was happily drinking a Bud Light while the witch continued her preparations. "Thanks, Red," Faith said cheerfully. "You're a babe."

Willow eyed her. "You think sweet talking me's going to get you out of trouble?"

"Yup." Faith put her head on one side and smiled again, displaying both her dimples in what she knew was a very appealing way. "Would it help if I told you you've got a really nice ass?"

Both the redhead's eyebrows shot up. "Faith Lehane! Are you…coming on to me?"

"Sure I am. That's generally what I do when I get cooped up in a room with a hot chick. Or a hot guy. An' what can I say? I'm an ass woman." Faith waggled her eyebrows. "But wait. You're a witch, right? Y'don't have some kinda policy where you turn people into frogs for sayin' stuff like that, do ya?"

The redhead frowned and shook her head. It looked as if she was trying to look disapproving, but the faint color of her cheeks and the slight curve of her lips gave her away. "You're a bad girl," she said. "And no. Council policy frowns on turning Slayers into frogs – even rogue ones."

"Oo, 'rogue.' I like the sound of that." Faith leaned back in her seat and took another very enjoyable swig of her beer. "I'm thinkin' of getting a tongue stud put in. Maybe I should get some more ink done, too, have 'em gimme a tramp stamp that says 'rogue Slayer.' That'd be pretty sweet." Willow smiled and shook her head again as she poured herself a cup of fresh coffee. "Aw, c'mon, Red. Don't you think that'd be cool?"

The witch settled herself in the chair next to Faith's and took a sip of her drink, her eyes moving over Faith's tattooed arms. "Well, I admit I kinda like what you've got so far," she said. "You have some interesting ones. How much of that did you get in prison?"

Faith looked down at them. "All but one of 'em," she said. "Got caught three times. Went to solitary for it about six months, all told. Prison tattoos get you in hella trouble in Club Fed." She took a mouthful of beer. "Did another three months in solitary after I beat up some butch bitch with an attitude. Bunch of other little stuff, too. I musta spent like a year there, if you add everything all up."

Willow looked at her hesitantly. "What's…what's it like?" she wanted to know. "Solitary, I mean. I've heard stories, but…" She stopped. "Never mind. It's rude of me to ask."

"Nah. It's cool, Red." Faith shrugged her shoulders. "They stick you in a cell, and you don't get to see other people. And all you got is a bunk and a toilet. The basics, y'know." She examined her beer can. "It sorta sucks, though, I guess. After a couple weeks, you even wanna see your guard's ugly mug. Damned if I know why."

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. It's none of my business." Willow looked pained.

"No big deal. It's past." The Slayer gave her a wry half-smile. "Besides, if you ain't allowed to ask prison questions, we ain't gonna have a lot to talk about. It's not like I've been doing a hell of a lot else." She drained the last of her lager. "So when's B supposed to get here?"

Willow consulted her watch. "The team usually starts showing up in the next five minutes. Buffy's pretty busy, though, so I wouldn't expect her for another fifteen." The witch puffed out her cheeks. "There's been a lot of Hellmouth activity lately. This meeting's probably going to be a long one." She bent down, picked up a remote control that lay by her chair, and pressed a button. A section of one of the walls pulled out and slowly rotated to reveal a large screen. Willow opened a laptop and turned it on. "Maybe this'll be a bit boring for you."

Faith eyed the screen. "Nah," she said quietly. "It kinda brings me back."

There was silence for a while. Then Willow set aside the laptop and got up. Faith looked away as the witch laid a hand on her arm. "Are you really all right with this, Faith? You don't have to do it, you know."

"I'm fine." The Slayer's expression hardened.

The witch studied her for a long moment. "Okay," she said. Without further comment, she went back to pecking away at the laptop. Faith settled back in her chair and gazed up at the ceiling, fidgeting every now and then. She didn't like confinement, and she didn't like being forced to sit still, so this wasn't the most pleasant situation she'd been in for a while. _Just chill, Lehane. Still better than prison,_ she reminded herself.

The door swung open, admitting a tall, lithe woman dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt, and a young man with a shock of black hair. The woman's light brown hair was long and tied back in a ponytail, but one look was enough to tell Faith that she wasn't human. There were odd ridges on her cheeks and forehead that looked almost reptilian, and her eyes were slightly slanted. She paused at the sight of Faith. The young man stopped as well and turned a questioning look on Willow.

"Hey, guys," the witch said calmly. "This is Faith Lehane, a freelance Slayer. Faith, this is Justin Lane, one of the vampire hunters on our team, and Naphu, who just joined us a couple of years ago."

Faith laid suspicious eyes on the woman. "What's up with you always having demons on your team?"

Naphu's lip curled in a silent snarl, baring teeth just a touch too sharp to be human. Willow frowned at Faith. "Naphu's all right," she said. "She's only half demon. Besides, she helped us out when the Hellmouth opened up, so she's already proven herself."

"Lehane." Naphu's voice was feminine and rich, but it had an odd, hoarse quality. She cocked her head. Her eyes, a rich, dark brown, rested on the cuffs Faith wore. "You are the traitor. I remember hearing of you. They locked you up somewhere for killing a man, did they not?"

Faith rose to her feet, her jaw tightening as her temper flared. "I don't care who the fuck you are," she snarled. "Ain't no demon gonna talk to me like that!"

"Faith." Willow appeared before the Slayer, pressing both hands against her shoulders and looking her in the eye. "Take it easy, all right? It's really hard to get blood out of these carpets." Faith grimaced at her. The witch gave the half-demon a look. "And you should know better than to bait a Slayer, Naphu."

Naphu regarded Faith coolly. "My apologies, I'm sure. I had forgotten your kind was so sensitive about punitive confinement."

The young man, who had been watching all of this with curiosity, now stepped forward. "Justin Lane," he said, sticking out his hand. "Pleased to meet you, Slayer Lehane." Faith tore her eyes from glaring at the half-demon to look at him. He was a well-built man, with broad shoulders and a thick neck. The hand that he was presenting to her was large and callused, and his forearm was corded with muscle. Suspiciously, Faith lifted her cuffed hands and gave his a brief shake. He eyed the cuffs, but didn't comment. "Coffee ready, Willow?"

"Yeah. Help yourselves." Willow didn't take her eyes off the dark Slayer, who had gone back to glowering at the half-demon. "Faith," she said sternly.

Faith scowled. "Yeah, yeah," she muttered, flopping back into her chair sulkily. "I won't kick the bitca's ass for her."

"You could try," Naphu said coolly.

"_Naphu."_ There was steel in Willow's tone now. The woman looked at her. Then, without a word, she went over and joined Justin at the coffee counter. Willow sighed and turned back to Faith. "She's got a bit of a big mouth, but she's a really good fighter," she said. "She's not so bad once you get to know her." The dark Slayer just grunted sullenly. Willow shook her head at her and went to retrieve her own coffee. Then the door opened again, and Faith forgot all about everything else.

The woman who stood in the doorway was achingly familiar. She was a petite little blond with dark green eyes. Her features were delicate. She was dressed in a short, brown leather skirt and a baby t-shirt. A neat pair of brown pumps framed her feet. She walked in and shot a cheerful smile at the coffee counter. "Hi, Will. Sorry I'm late. I had to drive Hope home from soccer practice."

"It's all right. We haven't started yet," Willow said quietly.

Then the blond's eyes fell on Faith. She stopped in mid-step, her pretty face clouding and hardening. There was a tense silence. "So. You came."

"Yeah. Here I am." Faith held up her cuffed hands. "Prisoner and all, B."

Buffy stared at her for a moment with hard, cold eyes. Then she looked at Willow. "Do you really think it's a good idea for her to be sitting in on our meeting? For all we know, she could be feeding information to the enemy."

"She isn't. I'd know." Willow's reply was short and to the point. "Besides, this was your idea, Buffy. You could've just gone out for a latte with her or something."

"I didn't think she'd actually come," Buffy muttered, casting Faith a dark look.

Before yet another fight could brew, Faith got up from her chair. "Look, Red, if this is gonna be a problem, too, I'll just go upstairs and read comic books until y'all are done rapping about your deep, dark secrets," she said in disgust. "I didn't come here for the Council bullshit, anyway."

Willow opened the fridge, took out another beer, and nodded, shooting a reproachful look at Buffy. "All right. Come on then, I'll get you settled up there." They headed up the stairs together. Willow sighed and pointed at one of the red chairs. "The comic books are over by that seat. Just go ahead and make yourself comfortable. And here, give me your hands."

"My hands?"

Faith held out her arms in confusion, and Willow removed the cuffs. The Slayer began to protest. "Hey," the witch said. "If Buffy's going to be stupid about this, I don't think we have to indulge her. You don't need to wear handcuffs just to read comic books and drink beer." She handed over the Bud Light she'd brought from downstairs. "Just relax and read whatever you want. The meeting shouldn't go much over two hours."

The dark Slayer sighed as she sat down and began to look over the selection of reading. "All I can say is, B better talk to me after all this bullshit."

"Oh, she will." There was a determined set to the witch's jaw. "I'll see you in a couple of hours, Faith. And I'm sorry about this."

"Not your fault, Red." Faith selected a couple of books. "I'll hang out here with Batman until you're through. Won't kill me. I've sat longer in worse places, y'know." With a sigh, Willow turned away and headed back through the door and down the stairs. Faith heard the downstairs door close behind her.

The two hours passed less painfully than expected. Faith stopped leafing through her latest comic book as footsteps finally came up the stairs. Naphu appeared, gave her a pointed look, and then left. She was followed a minute or two later by Justin. He nodded and smiled at the dark Slayer, who jerked her head in response. Silence followed his leaving. Faith could hear raised voices downstairs after a few minutes, but couldn't make out any words. She arched a brow. At last, there was silence again. Then she heard the door open, and Buffy stomped her way up the stairs.

The blond Slayer stood glaring at Faith for a moment. Faith returned the gaze in silence. At last, Buffy spoke. "Fine," she said tightly. "We'll talk. I'll come by Willow's house tomorrow morning at nine, once I'm done dropping my daughter off at school. I'll give you ten minutes to say whatever it is you're so eager to say. That's it."

"A'right, B," Faith said quietly. "I'll be there." Buffy narrowed her eyes and gazed at her for another few moments. Then, without another word, she turned and walked out of the store.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Faith was sitting in a chair in Willow's kitchen, watching the clock nervously. She'd been sitting there for over an hour now, ever since Willow had left for work. It was almost time. Any moment now, Buffy was going to walk through that door, and then Faith was going to...going to...the dark Slayer cursed silently_. Going to what? Tell her how good I'm gonna be? Fuck, man. She's gonna kick my ass._ She buried her face in her hands.

Then the door opened. Faith rose instinctively, her heart in her throat; her eyes met Buffy's cold green ones, and she found herself speechless. Buffy shut the door behind her and folded her arms across her chest. For a long moment, they just looked at each other.

The dark Slayer's eyes trailed irresistibly up slim legs in pinstriped pants and a powder blue baby tee, all the way up to the woman's delicate chin and perfectly-shaped mouth. _My God. I swear she's even hotter now than she used to be. _Faith's palms were sweaty. Then, unsmiling, Buffy arched a brow. "Well?"

Faith recovered herself with an effort. "Uh...hey, B." She shifted on her feet. "Wanna drink or something?" she asked, waving an arm at the fridge.

Buffy looked at it, and then back at her. "No."

"A'right." Faith was feeling a little desperate. She opened the fridge and dug out a bottle of beer. "Hope you don't mind if I do," she said, twisting off the cap with her fingers. She took several long swallows.

Coolly, Buffy leaned back against the wall and crossed her ankles. "I didn't come here to watch you drink beer," she said. "If you've got something to say to me, say it. Quit wasting my time."

"God, B, gimme a break, will ya?" The dark woman sat down with a deep sigh and regarded her fellow Slayer plaintively. "I'm tryin' to eat humble pie over here." Buffy lifted her brows and waited. There was silence for a few moments. Faith sighed again. "You look good."

Some of the animosity faded from Buffy's expression. She still looked guarded, but it was an improvement. "Thanks," she said quietly.

Faith studied her. "I think motherhood's been good to ya, B. Or somethin' has been, anyway." Buffy said nothing. The dark Slayer took another bracing mouthful of beer before she spoke again. "Listen," she said gruffly, "I know I wasn't exactly citizen of the year to you guys way back when. I get that. I fucked up in just about every way I could've fucked up. I…" A breath. "I hurt you on purpose, B. I'm sorry."

Buffy regarded her in silence for a while. "What do you want, Faith?" she asked finally.

This question, at least, Faith had expected. The brunette set down her drink on the counter and rested her elbows on her knees. "A chance," she said. "Like I said, I fucked up, and I wanna make good. Spent sixteen years paying for my mistakes. I want a chance to make it up to you, an' Red, an' Dawn, and…well, anyone else I might've forgot." Buffy's lips tightened. "C'mon, B" Faith pleaded softly. "I done everything I can, right? Stayed in the big house, did my time. Killed the bastard who iced Giles and Kennedy. I'm lookin' for work, and I signed up to get my GED. I'm checkin' in with my probie. Gimme a chance, B. I…I just need a chance to be what I should've been all along."

"You mean a sanctioned Slayer." Buffy's dark green eyes were cool.

"Yeah." Faith nodded.

A sigh. "I'm not in charge of that."

"Not officially, no. But we all know Willow'd never gimme a chance if you didn't. And you're the living legend." Faith's lips curved. "You're the most important Council vote in LA. They wouldn't buck you."

Buffy shook her head. "No way, Faith. I won't support your just being reinstated," she said. "I'm sorry, but even if I ignored your having betrayed me…_us…_you knowingly allied yourself with demons, and you killed human beings. Even if I didn't have anything against you personally, it would be stupid and dangerous to just throw open the doors and welcome you back."

The dark woman chewed her lip as she considered the woman's words. She was disappointed, but she wasn't stupid enough to be surprised. "Okay," she said. Her voice was hoarse. "I can't blame ya, B. I screwed you over good." She paused. "Can you give me something? Anything?" Buffy looked doubtful. "C'mon, B," Faith pleaded. "I'm a Slayer. It's in my damn blood. It ain't like I can just walk away from it. Even if you can't gimme somethin' official, can't you throw me some kind of a bone? You were the one that said I should do my time and start givin' back. I'm trying." Silence. "Please, B. Gimme a chance. I just wanna help."

With a gusty sigh, Buffy pushed away from the wall and crossed over to the window. She rested her hands on the sill, her dark green eyes studying the street outside. Faith stayed silent, watching and hoping. Buffy didn't speak for a couple of minutes. "I'll tell you what," she said finally, turning to fix Faith with a stern look. "If Willow wants to let you do some unofficial slaying every now and then, I won't stand in the way. She can work out the details of that with the Council. But I'll block anyone who tries to reinstate you before I think you've proved yourself, Faith. And let me tell you, a hell of a lot's going to have to happen before I'll even start to believe that."

It was something. Faith seized it with both hands. She rose from her seat to face her former mentor and stuck out her hand. "Thanks, B," she said huskily. "I'll do good. You won't regret it."

Buffy's expression was stony as she squeezed the proffered fingers. "I'd better not," she said. "I'll be watching you, Faith. If I think for a minute that you're up to any of your old games, I will personally hunt you down and break every bone in your body."

Faith's gaze met hers. "If I do somethin' to deserve that," she said quietly, "I'll stand there and let ya do it."

There was little reaction from Buffy. She released Faith's hand. "I've got to go," she said. "I promised Brian I'd meet him for brunch."

"Yeah." The dark woman let her gaze fall. "Thanks for takin' the time to talk to me, B. I know you're busy. Slaying, and a kid, and all." She heard Buffy's steps moving toward the door. There was a pause then, until Faith finally looked up.

Buffy was standing there with her hand on the doorknob, looking at her. Their eyes met one more time. Buffy seemed to be deciding something. At last, she gave Faith a stiff nod. "Good luck," she said, "with the job. And school." The brunette nodded back, her mouth curving into a faint smile. Without another word, Buffy turned and left, closing the door carefully behind her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Thanks to those of you who pointed out that Faith isn't Latina. *blush* See, this was originally a different story altogether, about a Hispanic girl named Sarah, and an Irish witch named Nixie, which I changed into a Buffy fanfic. I remembered to remove all references to the Irish thing, but not the Latina...eheheheh. Boy is my face red. Sorry about that!**

**Anyway. Enjoy!**

Faith stood just outside the door of a small office, wiping her hands self-consciously on her pant legs. She was about to go in to apply for yet another job, her second of the day, and her eighth this week. The routine was starting to make her feel a little more comfortable, but she still hated these things; the fakeness, the politeness, and the feeling of being constantly evaluated and found wanting. She looked down at herself. Willow had loaned her this outfit, since her own limited, leather-and-denim wardrobe wouldn't work for job hunting. It was a pair of Willow's charcoal gray trousers and a mint-green blouse - long-sleeved, to hide the tattoos on her arms. It felt restrictive and strange. She took a deep breath, glanced at her watch, and knocked on the door. "Come in," came the response. Faith twisted the knob and entered.

A middle-aged man with a well-trimmed moustache sat at a cheap-looking wooden desk inside. He rose to his feet and extended his hand across it. "Faith Lehane?"

"That's me." Faith shook his hand as calmly as possible, hoping that her palms weren't still clammy. "You must be Mr. Masterson."

"That's right. I'm the manager of Soapie Car Wash. Have a seat." Faith sat down in the vinyl-upholstered chair he indicated. "What can I do for you today, Miss Lehane?" he asked, sitting back in his own chair and regarding her.

She cleared her throat and consciously sat up straighter. "I'm lookin' for a job," she said. "This looks like a good place to work. I wondered if you'd be into hirin' me."

"Ah. Well, have you filled out an application form?" he asked. Faith nodded, dug in the file folder she was carrying, and came up with the form and her resume. She passed them to him without a word. Mr. Masterson studied them for a moment. "You don't seem to have had any experience in working with cars or car washes before."

"No, I haven't," Faith said. "But I'm motivated, sir. I'd work hard."

He kept reading. She was watching him, and saw his face suddenly darken. Faith gave an inward sigh. She knew what was coming. "I notice here that you said you have a criminal record," he said, tapping the form with a fingertip. "If I run a criminal record check on you, Miss Lehane, what will it come up with?"

She swallowed. "I served sixteen years for murder two, sir," she said. "But I did all my rehab, I'm checkin' in regular with my probation officer, an' I got a place to live. I'm a good worker, sir."

The man was already standing up and shuffling the papers together. "I'm sorry, Miss Lehane, but I don't think you have what we're looking for in an employee right now," he said calmly. "We'll keep your resume on file, and if an opening should come up that suits you, we'll be sure to call you."

Bitterness flooded Faith's mouth. _Yeah, you'll file the damn thing in the garbage, an' prob'ly disinfect your hand 'cause it touched me._ She got up and shook his hand again, forcing a polite smile. "Thanks for your time, sir," she said. "Have a good day."

_Have a good fuckin' day. Jerk._ Faith grumbled to herself as she walked up the sidewalk. Her feet hurt. Willow had lent her a pair of her shoes, and the witch's feet, while the same size as Faith's, were a lot narrower. She sighed and turned her steps homeward. _Least Willow's place ain't too far from here_, she thought miserably. _Don't hafta walk too far t' find a room to brood in._

It had been a long, frustrating and thoroughly humiliating two weeks. Every single day she'd gone out to pound the pavement, searching for some kind of a legitimate job she could do. Every single time, she'd been turned down. About half of them had rejected her for her lack of experience in anything marketable (stabbing demons to death not being something she could exactly take credit for), and half had done so once her criminal record had come to light. One man had flatly told her that he didn't want any "fucking murderers" working for him, and had threatened to beat her up if she didn't get off his property. There had been a time when Faith would have spoiled for that fight. As it was, she'd simply sneered at him and left.

Faith sighed, tugged her precious carton of cigarettes from her pocket, and pulled one out. She'd just about had to quit smoking cold turkey since she didn't have enough money to keep herself in smokes anymore. She hated sponging off Willow. Really, she hated having to ask help from anybody. Back before she'd gone to prison, Faith would have probably started stealing by now. _Can't, though_, she thought moodily, lighting her smoke with a practiced flick of her lighter. _Gotta keep on that straight an' narrow, or whatever B an' Angel were always goin' on about_.

Angel. Faith blew out a cloud of smoke with a sigh. She'd meant to call him. The vampire had been good to her while she'd been in prison. He'd talked to her a lot about redemption, and coming from him, she'd actually been able to take it. He'd come to visit her in prison once or twice a month for the first nine years of her incarceration. It had been a bit less often for the last seven, mainly because he was so busy with whatever evil-fighting detective work he was doing, but he'd still come.

The woman examined her cigarette. _I gotta call him_, she told herself. _I'll do it tomorrow, once Willow's gone to open up Nicotine Lolita, or whatever the hell she named that store. Be nice to talk to him again. An' maybe he'll have some ideas 'bout this damn job hunt._

She'd finally reached Willow's street. Faith took off the pinching shoes and walked the last half-block barefoot, preferring the dull burn of hot pavement. Willow wasn't home yet. With a sigh, Faith went upstairs, stripping the clothes off as she went. She paused to fold them into some semblance of neatness and put them in front of Willow's bedroom door before shouldering her way into her own room. With quick, angry movements, Faith tugged on her leather pants and her wifebeater. Then she threw herself down in a corner and buried her head in her hands.

_Fuck, man. Just...fuck. No one'll even let me flip damn burgers. What the hell they think I'm gonna do, go out an' shoot my own cows?_ She growled in frustration and rubbed her fingers through her spiky hair. _Plenty of stuff to do for my mandatory volunteer crap, at least_, she thought with a sigh. _Maybe I can find somethin' through that...got garbage detail day after tomorrow_. She rubbed her eyes tiredly, and then suddenly realized she was still holding the smoldering butt of her cigarette. With a grimace, she flicked it out the open window. Then she rested her head in her hands again.

Downstairs, a door slammed. Faith listened as footsteps mounted the stairs a minute or so later. They approached her door soon after that. She waited - there came a tentative knock. Faith grunted. The latch clicked open. "Hey," Willow said tentatively. "I was going to ask how the job search was going, but maybe this isn't the best time."

Faith rested her elbow on her knee, then her chin on her hand, and glowered at Willow from under her black brows. "Nope."

Willow made a face. "That sucks." The Slayer growled something unintelligible. "Um...well, I do run a bookstore. Maybe I could..."

"No." Faith shook her head emphatically. "Thanks for the thought, Red, but I don't wanna take some pity job, a'right? I wanna do this thing right. I need to get my own job by workin' at it, not just have it handed t' me 'cause someone feels sorry for me."

"Okay. I respect the self-sufficiency thing. The offer's still open, though." The witch sighed and hesitated. "Look, uh...I've got some movies downstairs with lots of explosions in them, and some popcorn. And...and I'm gonna go there, and watch the movies, and probably eat the popcorn. And if someone wanted to do that with me instead of moping up here, well...then someone could probably do that." Faith looked at her. A faint hint of amusement was creeping in under her annoyance and frustration, but her expression didn't change. Willow gave a nervous smile. "I've got rum and Coke," she said coaxingly.

"Yeah?" Faith couldn't help perking up. "Any whiskey and lemon?"

The redhead's smile grew to include a mischievous glint in her green eyes. "We could raid my liquor cabinet and find out," she said. "I bet we could find something." She wound a lock of her red hair around her finger and gave Faith an exaggeratedly playful look. "Plus I've got some good news for you."

The Slayer arched her brows. "Yeah? What?"

"Ah, ah." Willow lifted her nose into the air and sniffed haughtily. "I only give good news to people who aren't moping in their rooms." Faith chuckled softly and got to her feet. With a mischievous grin, the witch turned and led the way downstairs. Faith followed.

The Slayer's bad mood grudgingly gave way over the course of the evening. The two of them raided the liquor cabinet, pigged out on popcorn and takeout Chinese food, and watched the stack of movies Willow had rented. For such a chick flick fan, Willow was surprisingly good at picking movies that Faith liked. She'd evidently bought out the store's entire selection of Bruce Lee flicks, along with a few cheesy action movies from the eighties. At ten o'clock, the witch sat back on the couch. "Feeling better?" she asked.

"Yeah." Faith gave her a grudging smile. "Thanks, Red."

Willow drew her knees up into her chest and hugged them. "You're welcome," she said. "I've been watching you. I mean, not in a creepy stalkerish way. More like a...uh...hoping you aren't like you were way. And you aren't. I mean, you're not like you were then, you're like you are." The Slayer's brow furrowed. Willow blushed faintly. "Um, never mind. I think I lost myself, too. Moving on. I just meant you're trying really hard, and that's good. So I have some good news for you."

"Oh, yeah. You said." Faith sipped the last of her whiskey sour. "What's the word? B decide I was five by five? Forces of evil mail us a white flag? Someone buy me a year's worth of smokes?"

The witch rummaged in an end table and produced a sharp wooden stake. She held it out. Faith frowned at her, but accepted it. "I talked to the Council guys, and they've agreed to let you do a little unofficial slaying," she said. "Buffy's doing the downtown route tonight, so you can do the docks and stuff. You know, get back into the swing of things, kick a little ass. What do you say?"

Faith curled her fingers around the stake, savoring the rough feel of the wood. Had it really been more than sixteen years since she'd held one of these? She looked down at it as a slow smile spread over her face. Her dark eyes flicked up to Willow's. The witch looked hopeful. "Thanks, Red." Faith's voice was low and slightly hoarse. "I'll do good. You'll see."

"I know you will." Willow nodded emphatically. "If there's anything everyone always agreed you were good at, it was hitting stuff. You'll be fine."

"Heh." Faith smiled lazily. She glanced at the clock. "So I guess I should get out there, huh?"

"Yeah. C'mon, I'll give you a ride." Willow got up. "Listen, if we do this, I'm kind of going to have to be your unofficial Watcher. You know, to your unofficial Slayerness. Hope you don't mind."

"Oh yeah?" Faith slung her leather jacket over her shoulders and followed the redhead from the house. "Do I get to do any unofficial trainin', then?"

Car doors slammed, and an engine turned over. "Yep," Willow said as they pulled out of her driveway. "And you get to unofficially train with unoffi...okay, I'm dropping the unofficial thing." She adjusted her rearview mirror. "I figured you'd need to train with someone close to your level. You know, since you have that whole Slayer strength thing going on. Naphu and Justin would be out. So I got on the phone with Dawn, and she agreed to train with you if you'll talk to her for a while first."

The dark Slayer stared at her. "What, Dawn? Like, B's little sis, Dawn? She ain't a Slayer."

"Nope. She's the Key." Willow looked both ways and cranked the wheel to the left. "We still don't really understand what that means. It seems like she shows us something new every week." She shook her head with wonder. "You never got to see any of that. She was just starting to blossom during that whole battle with The First. She's every bit as fast and strong as Buffy is, even though she isn't a Slayer. Plus she's brilliant at magic. I wasn't gonna teach her because Buffy didn't want her to learn, but Dawn just started doing it on her own until I pretty much had to start training her to keep her out of trouble. And she's so smart! She speaks Latin like a pro, and picked up Sumerian and Babylonian in just a few months. She's a natural."

"Wow." Faith rubbed the back of her neck. "Uh...is she as pissed at me as B is, Red? 'Cause I'd really like to get outta this trainin' bit without doing serious hospital time."

Willow smiled at her. "Dawn won't beat you up," she said. "I promise. She just wants to talk to you first."

"Uh huh. You know, there were some chicks in the clink who liked askin' to talk. Pretty much always involved some fist action, Red." Faith smiled ruefully as Willow shot her an exasperated look. "A'right, a'right. So the little B clone ain't gonna kick my ass."

"No. She isn't." They fell silent for a while. Finally, as they reached an industrial-looking area, Willow pulled the car over and parked on the side of the street. "Here we are," she said. "This is your beat for tonight, Faith. It goes four blocks along the oceanfront that way, and four blocks inland. You'd normally patrol it until sunrise, but maybe you're tired, huh? I can come get you here around two if you like."

Faith grinned as she opened the car door. "Nah. Make it dawn," she said. "I ain't done this in a while. I need the practice. Plus I wanna kick all the vamp ass I can."

"It might be therapeutic. Ash therapy. We could patent that." Willow smiled back. "Okay. So I'll pick you up here at dawn? Don't do anything I wouldn't do. And call if you need backup. I'll send Buffy your way."

The dark Slayer jerked her head in a nod, swatted the car lightly on the hood, and shut the door. Willow waved her fingers a little as she pulled away from the curb - three tiny little magical lights swirled playfully around Faith's head before vanishing with audible pops. The dark Slayer shook her head and grinned after the disappearing taillights. Then she tucked her stake into her jacket and turned her eyes on the dark streets. Her grin turned feral. "He-e-e-ere, vampy, vampy, vampy..."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Slaying was slow tonight, Hellmouth or no Hellmouth. Faith had been prowling the streets of Los Angeles for hours, and had only made one kill – some stupid fledgling vampire trying to munch on the neck of a little blond girl in a blue shirt dress. Faith had simply drawn her stake from her jacket and sent it through his back with one negligent flick. Boring as hell, although maybe that was good, given the fact that she wasn't anywhere close to being in top form for this. She had to admit she'd feel better once her training sessions started, even if they were with Dawn - who, whatever Willow might say, still might very well want to exact a little revenge.

Faith considered hitting a club or two, and then decided against it. She felt like thinking and being alone – a luxury she'd never had in prison. The dark Slayer turned her steps down to an abandoned dock. A cool breeze ruffled her hair as she sat down. With practiced movements, she lit a cigarette and stared out to sea. Her mind wandered.

Buffy and Angel had both told her that prison was part of her redemption, part of the debt she needed to pay to society. She'd accepted that. She'd wanted to make up for what she'd done – needed to feel that she could start to repay the world for everything she'd taken from it, all the damage she'd done to it. She'd turned herself in, gone to prison just outside of Chowchilla. Faith had wanted to do her time.

It happened about seven months into her sentence at the maximum security facility. She'd gotten a new cellmate then, an eighteen-year-old little blond girl named Dora. The kid was quiet, and tiny – even more petite than Buffy, which was really saying something. She'd been convicted of murder after killing her abusive boyfriend. The way Dora told it, he'd come at her with his fists one night after accusing her of looking at another guy. After three years of taking his abuse, she'd snapped that night and stuck a knife through his ribs. He'd died, and she wound up in prison.

The whole thing was stupid, Faith thought. The kid was obviously not a killer. She, Faith, was a killer – a Slayer who'd slain since she'd been old enough to wrap her fingers around a weapon. She, Faith, the murderer and traitor, belonged there in jail. This tiny, frightened little blond girl did not. Whatever debt Dora supposedly owed to society for what she'd done, Faith was pretty certain that this place wasn't where she ought to be paying it.

Since Faith had no control over where Dora served her sentence, she'd turned her considerable energies instead toward making things more bearable for the girl. A tiny little thing like Dora would usually have been roughed up by the tougher inmates, and probably made the unwilling bitch of some powerful bull dyke. Faith let it be known that the blond was under her protection. Already the other inmates respected Faith for her ruthless strength in a fight, and so Dora was left alone. Dora was pathetically grateful for it. Over four months, the two of them got to know each other. Faith even found herself liking the quiet kid, despite how different the two of them were. And anyway, she'd always had a thing for blonds.

One day a riot had erupted. Faith wasn't really sure what had started it, although there were rumors of one group of inmates jumping another, and then fighting with the prison guards who came around to break it up. The whole jail was in an uproar. There were shots fired everywhere, and knifings, and screams. Faith had tried to find Dora, but the kid had disappeared. The Slayer managed to get back to her cell and hide out on the top bunk, watching as chaos raged outside. Two hours later, it had died down a bit. Despite the danger and the guards who were tracking down and brutally beating inmates, Faith had slipped out to look for Dora again.

She'd found her in the laundry room, huddled in a corner, her prison uniform ripped and stained with blood. Dora had looked so tiny, her blue eyes wide and glazed over, her arms wrapped around herself as she rocked back and forth. Faith couldn't get her to talk or respond. After checking that the kid wasn't injured, Faith had scooped her up and carried her back to their cell, where she'd locked the two of them in. The whole prison went on lockdown not long after that, and all the inside lights had been shut off.

There in the darkness, after a lot of coaxing, Faith had finally gotten the story out of the almost catatonic Dora. One of the other inmates, a huge woman by name of Carmen, had found little Dora during the first few minutes of the riot. She'd dragged the younger girl into the laundry room under cover of the chaos. There she'd brutally raped her, laughing at Dora's screams. It had gone on for a long time, although the blond didn't know exactly how long. Then three or four other inmates had burst in with homemade shivs and attacked Carmen, and they'd fought. Dora had watched her rapist murder two of them. For whatever reason, no one thought the petite blond worth killing, and the fight had moved on from the laundry room. Dora had huddled there in mindless shock and terror until Faith found her.

The blond girl had cried after telling the story, deep, racking sobs shaking her body as she'd buried her face into Faith's shoulder. The brunette had held her helplessly. Once the tears dried, Dora never again spoke another word.

The jail was on lockdown for three weeks. The first day they were allowed to leave their cells, Dora had disappeared. Faith had found her a couple of hours later, curled up on her bunk in a pool of blood, like a tiny bird, her wrists slashed with a homemade shiv like the ones that had murdered the women she'd watched die.

Faith didn't cry, and showed no emotion when the broken little body was carried away. She'd simply begun to quietly make arrangements. She stole a folding knife from one of the guards the next day. She began noting security cameras throughout the prison, her Slayer hearing telling her when they were active, and when they weren't. She made quiet inquiries among the other inmates.

And then, two weeks to the day after she'd found Dora's lifeless form, she'd acted. Slayer speed had whisked her from her cell to the solitary confinement cells the moment the cameras in certain halls flicked off in their cycle. Slayer agility had picked the lock on a certain cell within seconds. Ruthless Slayer strength had driven the stolen knife up under a breastbone and through a beating heart. Slayer speed, again – and when the cameras had turned back on, they revealed nothing but empty halls and an ominously spreading pool of blood seeping out from under a cell door. No one had ever found out who killed Carmen, and Faith had never been questioned in connection with it.

Now, Faith flipped another Marlboro into her mouth and lit it, her eyes resting pensively on the horizon. She wondered if killing the rapist had been a good deed, or if it was another one of those things she'd done that she should be paying for. There seemed to be elements of both, like there were in a lot of things in Faith's life. She supposed she could ask Willow. She knew what Buffy would say – that she, Faith, should go somewhere and confess to the murder and get herself locked up in the clink again.

But what good would that do anyone, really? Faith inhaled deeply and let the smoke slowly out through her nose. She was a Slayer. If she was out here, slaying, working her ass off for no pay and no recognition in a world that treated her like shit, she was at least saving innocent lives. Less vampires was always a good thing. If she was in prison, not slaying, working her ass off for no pay and no recognition in that same indifferent goddamn world, she was _not _saving innocent lives, and she was not doing _anyone_ any damn good. Who exactly did that benefit?

Who the hell got redeemed in that scenario?

Faith sighed and smoked, still watching the dark horizon. It was weird to look from the lit city out over the ocean, which was as black as pitch except where the odd buoy or boat light bobbed in the water. It looked peaceful out there in the darkness. No jails. No freakishly huge slavering demons. No moral conundrums or condescending car wash managers or morally superior yet incredibly hot blond Slayers. Just wind and water and waves, and maybe a seagull or two.

She took a final draw on her cigarette and flicked it away. The tiny red ember arched gracefully through the air, vanishing abruptly when it hit the water far below. She tore her eyes from it and checked her watch – nearly five in the morning. The sun would come up soon, which meant slaying was probably over for the night. Faith got up and hiked her shoulders to settle her leather jacket more firmly on her back. Stuffing her hands into her pockets, the dark Slayer headed back to where Willow had dropped her off. It was time to head home.


	5. Chapter 5

A few hours of sleep were all Faith managed to get. Willow was long gone by the time she finally got up and shuffled down to the kitchen to find some breakfast. They were out of cereal; she dug in a cupboard for some bread and made toast instead. She sat down at the counter with this and some strong coffee and began to munch sleepily, thinking about her plans for the day.

She had an interview that afternoon at a seedy little gas station, which had actually called her back in despite the fact that she'd had to disclose her criminal record on their application form. It was nearly noon now, which meant she had a couple of hours to get her head on straight before going down there.

It also meant that she had a little time to call Angel. She sipped her coffee and considered that. She knew the vampire would probably be asleep right now. _If I was a considerate gal, I'd call 'im at night._ Her lips curved. _Too bad for him I ain't_. She reached over, tugged Willow's phone closer, and dialled the number from memory with her thumb. Then she took a large bite of peanut butter toast and listened as the phone rang.

There was a click, then a thud, and muffled cursing. Faith smirked a bit as she washed down her mouthful with a few gulps of coffee. "'Lo?" came a rather grumpy voice on the other end of the line.

"Hey, lover," Faith said. "Whussup?"

"Faith?" Angel still seemed half asleep. "Oh. Hi. Is something wrong?"

"Nope. Somethin' good, actually." The dark Slayer smiled. "I got paroled a couple months ago. I'm in LA. Figured I'd give you a call."

"Really? That's great." The vampire sounded more alert now. "You're in Los Angeles? Are you okay, then? Do you need a place to stay? We can probably squeeze you into the hotel here."

Faith couldn't help grinning. _Good ol' Angel_. "Thanks, man, but I got a place already," she said. "I'm stayin' with Red. Figured I'd stick around here an' try to patch things up a bit with B...maybe get the Council t' let me back in on the slaying gig after a while. Get a job, that kinda thing."

"You're staying with Willow?" Angel sounded both surprised and pleased. "I guess she must have forgiven you for that kidnapping incident, then."

The dark Slayer scratched her ear sheepishly. "Uh...I dunno, actually. We ain't really talked about it. Guess she must've, though. She's been pretty cool." She paused. "Listen, Angel, I been lookin' for work for a couple weeks, but I ain't got experience, an' the whole criminal record thing's kinda put a damper on stuff. You got any ideas?"

"Oh, yeah. That must be rough," the vampire said sympathetically. "Have you tried getting on as a paid Slayer?"

Faith rubbed her eyes. "I can't," she said. "The Council ain't exactly my fan club, an' B told me she'd block anyone tryin' to let me back in. I hafta prove myself first. I ain't even really sure what she meant by that." She sighed. "But I think I got Red in my corner. She's lettin' me slay unofficially, an' she said she got Dawn to train me. I just hafta work at it long enough, I guess...anyway, I still hafta find somethin' to earn my keep until B decides she's satisfied or whatever."

"That might take a while," Angel said. "Buffy...I love her, but it can take a lot to change her mind once she's made it up."

"Tell me about it." Faith smiled ruefully. "But I gotta try, man," she added in a low voice. "I mean, I did some pretty rotten stuff to 'er. An' besides, she...she's _Buffy."_

Angel didn't ask her what she meant. "Yeah." There was a pause. "Well, anyway, I'm glad you got out, Faith. If you ever need anything, just ask, all right? And listen, we should get together and talk sometime." Faith heard rustling on his end. "Are you free Saturday night? I can probably come out then."

"Well, I gotta patrol," Faith said. "But you can come with. I got a pretty slow beat. I'm thinkin' Red did that on purpose." She chuckled ruefully. "Good thing, I guess. Think I'm prob'ly pretty rusty."

"Okay. I'll see you Saturday night, then," Angel said. "Listen, you be careful, all right, Faith? Take it slow, and take care of yourself."

"I will, dawg." The dark Slayer grinned. "See ya then."

"Bye." _Click._

Faith was still smiling as she hung up the phone. Angel had a way of making her feel better about life. Even in prison, he'd always had that effect on her. _I can do this_, she told herself. _I mean, Angel's doin' it, an' he's got a helluva lot more to make up for than I do, right? So a couple prick managers were actin' like jerks. So what? I'll find somethin' to do. I'll work my ass off with the slayin', an' get my damn GED, an' I'll show B I'm for real_.

Heartened, Faith went about getting herself ready for her latest job interview. Willow had left out a few items of her clothing for her to use. Faith chose a pair of black slacks and a white button-up shirt. Even if the place was seedy, she supposed she shouldn't show up in leather pants and a wifebeater. She examined her sleeves. The fabric was slightly see-through, and she could just make out the lines of her tattoos beneath it. She shrugged. _Good enough_. The dark Slayer headed for the bathroom to do her makeup.

It still felt bizarre to wear lipstick and eyeliner again. Makeup was just one of those things you didn't get in prison, like private showers and Jack Daniels. Faith drew her lipstick carefully over her bottom lip and inspected the result in the mirror. It looked all right, she thought. Faith met her own eyes in the mirror, and studied them. In many ways, she still looked like she had sixteen years ago - large, soulful eyes, full lips, smooth olive skin. In others, though...she looked older. Her face was leaner, with the longer planes of adulthood made obvious by her short haircut. Her eyes, too, had gained depth. She examined herself thoughtfully. _I wonder if they're good changes?_

Her lips quirked as she went over the thought again. _Oop, gettin' morbid again, Lehane. Save the depressin' crap until after this two-bit gas station manager runs you outta his office, a'right?_ She pushed away from the mirror and headed downstairs again to watch some television.

A cop show or two went a long way toward relaxing her. Then it was time to head out to the gas station. Faith tucked her house key securely in her pocket, picked up the file folder of resumes she always carried to interviews, and stepped out of the house. It was a beautiful day, typical of Los Angeles in early July. She glanced up at the sun with a slight smile. _Maybe I'll get a newspaper an' do my job search outside after this interview,_ she mused. _Nice day to catch some rays. Been a while_. Faith thought about the beach. _Wonder if I could get Red t' go with me sometime? She likes beaches. Used to do beach days in Sunnydale, back in the day._

It was strange to think that Sunnydale was only a crater now. Faith still found it hard to fathom, even though she'd gone by there on her way to Los Angeles and seen the massive hole in the ground that had once been Buffy's hometown. The press had spun Sunnydale's destruction as a huge sinkhole caused by an earthquake. And in California, who'd think twice about believing that? It was sure easier than trying to convince people that the place had imploded because a bunch of high school students and a vampire had defeated a nameless evil under a public school. Faith smirked. _How many civs realize how much real life hasta get covered up just so's they can live their "real lives?"_

She had reached the gas station. Faith paused for a moment on the sidewalk to look at it. The place was dilapidated, with peeling paint and a general air of neglect. A faded, once-cheerful sign over the entrance announced that the place was called "Gas Em Up." Faith took a deep breath. Then she went inside.

The place stank. Faith's Slayer senses reeled under the assault. She could smell mildew, cigarette smoke and rancid motor oil, and something suspiciously like sour milk. Her nose wrinkled. Shuddering, she headed past the half-asleep kid at the checkout and over to a banged-up green door. There was a cracked plastic sign on it that read "Manager." Shifting her folder under her left arm, Faith knocked with her right. The door opened a minute or two later.

The manager of Gas Em Up was a man in his mid-forties. He had scraggly black hair that was thinning on top, oddly milky blue eyes, and a significant beer belly. He wore a dirty, short-sleeved, button-up shirt and a pair of wrinkled gray trousers. Faith had to take a surreptitious peek at the application in her folder to remember his name. She extended her hand. "Tony Fleischer? I'm Faith Lehane. I applied to work here a couple of days ago."

"Oh, yeah. Right. Lehane." Tony gave her hand a brief, clammy clasp before shrugging his shoulders and moving aside. Faith went into the cramped little office. There was a wooden table that served as a desk and one chair. Tony sat down heavily on it. Faith remained standing. She tried not to touch anything - mainly because she felt as if she might need to boil herself in disinfectant later if she did. She handed him her application and resume. Tony put them down after barely looking at them. "You've got a criminal record."

_Well, at least this guy doesn't beat around the bush_. Faith nodded. "Yes."

"Explains why a pretty thing like you would want to work in a hole like this." He was unsmiling. His pale eyes narrowed a bit, evaluating her. They seemed almost reptilian. Faith stifled a shiver - the man gave her the creeps. "You desperate, Lehane?"

She frowned just a bit. "I need a job, Mr. Fleischer," she said. "I'm a good worker."

"We'll see." He dug in a milk crate on the floor and tossed a blue-and-red shirt and a blue baseball cap onto the table. "Your uniform," he said. "Show up day after tomorrow at six thirty in the morning. You'll get two days of training, and then you're on your own. Eight bucks an hour."

Faith stared at him stupidly. "I'm hired?"

"For now." His unsettling eyes didn't blink. "Not sure if you'll stay hired. A girl with a criminal record would have to work pretty hard to convince me she was any good. We understand each other, Lehane?"

Anger welled up in Faith's gut. She wanted to stuff that shirt down Tony's creepy throat and storm out of this filthy hellhole. _Don't_, she hissed at herself. _The guy's an asshat, and this damn place sucks, but you need the work. You can keep lookin' for something else, but don't fuck this up._ Her teeth gritted as she picked up the items he'd thrown onto the table. "We do, Mr. Fleischer. Thanks for your time."

"Six-thirty," he said pointedly. "Sharp."

"Yes, sir." She nodded at him and let herself out. The kid at the counter watched her go, his gaze bored and vacant.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"I can't believe you talked me into this, Red." Faith grimaced down at the heavy ball in her hands.

Willow laughed. She was dressed in fitted black jeans, ugly bowling shoes, and a red bowling shirt, and still managed to look cute despite that. "Oh, come on, Faith. You got a job! This is cause for celebration, and merrymaking, and decking the halls." She paused. "Well, maybe not the hall decking. Isn't that a Christmas thing?"

"Partying, maybe," Faith grumbled. "But I ain't got a clue what I'm doin' here."

"It's not hard," Willow said. She took a bowling ball from the rack with noticeable effort, staggered over to their lane, and looked back at Faith over her shoulder with a grin. "Just watch. All you have to do is knock over those pins with this ball, without stepping over this line here. Like this." The witch took a step back and sent the ball rolling down the lane. It drifted left. One of the pins wobbled slightly as it rumbled by.

Faith laughed. "Just like that, huh?"

"Shut up." The redhead scowled at her. "We can't all be superpowered and ultra coordinated, you know."

The dark Slayer moved into position. She eyed her ball skeptically. _A'right. Let's just pretend those stupid pins are a buncha vamps. Whip this ball at 'em, try an' take 'em all out with one shot._ Faith threw. The ball hurtled down the lane and met the pins with a thundering crash. Only one remained standing.

Willow pouted. "No fair. You said you'd never done this before."

"I never did," Faith grinned. "But I've hucked a whole lotta stuff at a whole mess of other stuff over the years."

"Slayers. I knew I should've taken you to that outdoor chess place in the park instead." Willow sighed, then shrugged and smiled. "Oh, well. It'll be fun anyway. And look, you'll get to kick my ass. That should be a lot of fun for you."

"Nah. Who'd wanna kick somethin' that fine?" The dark Slayer chuckled at the dark flush that crept up Willow's neck at this. "You're up, Red."

"Now you're just trying to psyche me out and throw me off my game," Willow said haughtily. "I'll have you know that I'm very good at this bowling thing. When they have those bouncy things covering the gutters, I've bowled up to one-fifty." Faith laughed, and Willow grinned at her. Another ball was sent rolling up the lane. Willow had better luck this time - two pins fell. "Hah! See? Another twenty or thirty frames like that, and I could have a good score."

The evening went on in much the same way, with the two of them laughing and bantering with each other. Faith enjoyed herself immensely, despite her uncertainty about bowling. When the games were over, Willow took her to a fifties-themed diner for supper. They chatted amiably until their cheeseburgers arrived. Faith immediately attacked hers, while the witch started in on her fries first.

There was silence as they ate. After a while, Faith paused and gazed at her companion. Willow was meticulously dipping each french fry in ketchup before eating it. The dark Slayer thought back to her conversation with Angel that morning. She carefully set down her remaining cheeseburger and cleared her throat. "Hey, Red?"

Willow paused in the act of biting into a fry, her green eyes flicking up to meet Faith's. "Mm?"

"I was just thinkin'," Faith said gruffly. "I made such a big deal 'bout apologizin' to B for all the stuff I did to 'er, but I never really said nothin' to you. An' it ain't like I never did nothin' to you, either." Willow continued eating her fry, and said nothing. "I mean, I held a damn knife to your throat, Red. I held you hostage. I put you in a hella bad situation, an' you never did shit to me." Faith looked down. "I'm sorry."

"And I forgive you," Willow said promptly. Faith's head jerked up in surprise, and Willow chuckled softly. "Oh, come on, Faith. I've been battling the forces of evil for sixteen years since then. What you did to me was nothing compared to some of the stuff I've seen. I've had scarier things than you for breakfast."

"Hey!" Faith scowled at this.

"Aw, I'm sorry." The redhead's eyes twinkled softly with amusement. "I forgot about that delicate Slayer ego. Buffy's the same way. Let me try that again." She cleared her throat with exaggerated care. "Despite how powerful scary you are, Miss Lehane," she said, drawling like Scarlett O'Hara, "and what an awful bad girl y'are, Ah do believe Ah can just about find it in mah heart to forgive you."

"You little bitch. You're mocking me!" Faith couldn't quite restrain a grin, though. "Okay, fine. Thanks. I'm glad you're over it. Just gonna eat my damn burger now."

Willow giggled and went back to her fries. Faith watched her surreptitiously through her black lashes. It was rare that she found someone who could tease her without actually making her angry, but Willow seemed to be able to do it with ease. She felt comfortable with the redheaded witch - even more so now that they'd been sharing a house for a few weeks. She resumed eating her cheeseburger. _Been a long time since I've had a friend._ Faith stole another glance at Willow's face. It made her feel good. Faith smiled to herself. _Yeah, been a long time...but I think I like it_.


	6. Chapter 6

Faith finished wrapping her right hand and flexed it experimentally into a fist. It had been a very long time since she'd done any formal physical training, and she couldn't help feeling a bit nervous about it. She glanced around the dressing room and sighed. It was a fairly small room with bare concrete walls. Benches lined three of those walls, while the fourth opened into a short hallway, which led on the left to a cluster of shower stalls, and on the right to the main hall of the building.

Willow had driven her here about twenty minutes ago for her first training session with Dawn. This building was owned by the North American branch of the Watcher's Council, and had been set up for the expressed purpose of Slayer training. Thus, while most of the facilities were standard gymnasium fare, there were also some more unique features - like the target room where Slayers could practice knife-throwing, or the small shooting range that was set up out back.

Quietly, the dark Slayer ran her fingers through her hair. Then she got up, casting a long glance at the rumpled clothes and empty gym bag sitting a few feet down from her own things. _Dawn_. Faith sighed quietly. _Wonder what she grew up like? All I remember is that annoying little squirt who was always whining to Buffy 'bout how we never included her in nothin'. Like some dumb little twelve-year-old coulda taken on a vampire or somethin', anyway._ She examined her fingernails. _Though if what Red says is true, Dawn wasn't even around then. She was still some crazy cosmic blob of energy, until some weird monks made her into a kid_. She rolled her eyes. _God, is anything ever normal around the Summers clan?_ Faith shouldered her way through the door of the dressing room.

The muffled smacks of fists against leather drifted to Faith's ears as she paused just outside the door of the small gym. She knew it must be Dawn. She took a few deep breaths as she looked down at herself, evaluating the denim cutoffs and tank top she was wearing, and the white tape wrapped around her hands. Then, squaring her shoulders, Faith pushed through the door and strode into the training room.

A young woman was there, dressed in blue basketball shorts and a white soccer jersey. Her hands were neatly wrapped up. She was average height, maybe five foot six or seven. She had a lithe, lean body, like a dancer's. Her long, brown hair was tied back with a white hair scrunchie. At the moment, she was dancing around a punching bag on agile feet, throwing punches at it with workmanlike vigor. Faith watched in silence. Dawn was taller now, and her muscles were larger and much more well-defined, but she was still unmistakably Dawn. She'd have known her anywhere.

Mind you, she'd never seen Dawn rock a hundred-pound punching bag with a straight right before.

As she thought this, the young woman stopped her pummelling and turned toward Faith, her fists dropping to hover slightly above her hips. There was a pause. "Hi, Faith," Dawn said abruptly. "Long time no see."

"Yeah." The dark woman studied her. "Long time never see, if what Red says is true. I mean, 'bout you bein' some ball of green stuff, an' all those memories bein' just make-believe from some monks, or somethin'."

"Green energy. Yeah." Dawn shrugged a shoulder as if the subject didn't matter much to her. She picked up a white towel and slung it around the back of her neck. "C'mon, Faith. Let's talk before we get started." And she went over to a mat that lay on the floor in a corner. The dark Slayer slowly moved to it. Dawn sat down cross-legged and leaned back on her hands. She was obviously waiting for Faith to follow suit. Faith sat down, not without some uncertainty.

There was silence for a few moments as the two studied each other. Faith was struck by how like Buffy Dawn looked, despite being taller and brunette. It was something in the lines of the face and the intensity of the green eyes. "Damn, look at you. Little brat's all grown up," the dark Slayer murmured.

Dawn's lips curved. "Yeah. Something like that." She put her head on one side. "I was surprised you came here," she said. "To us in LA, I mean. I would have expected you to go to Angel."

The dark Slayer rubbed her ear and shrugged, unable to meet Dawn's gaze. "Eh. He's cool. But he ain't the one I hurt worst."

"No. Buffy is." Dawn stretched out her legs and crossed them at the ankles. "But you didn't go directly to her, either. Why, Faith?"

The dark woman scowled. "What is this, twenty questions?"

"I just want to know what I'm getting into," the younger woman said.

"What I'm up to, you mean," Faith snorted. Dawn said nothing, and the dark Slayer sighed. "Naw, I didn't go straight to B. I figured if I showed up on her doorstep, she'd kick my ass. Plus I figured she'd wanna see proof that I ain't out t' screw her over anymore, an' that'd take time. Needed to be kinda near her, but not in her face." She arched her dark brows. "Satisfied, Dawn?"

"With that answer? Yep." Dawn nodded and smiled. It was still an innocent expression, as if she were much younger than her twenty-five years. "You have to answer more, though." Faith glowered at her in mingled annoyance and uncertainty. She wasn't sure what to make of this confident and seemingly un-hostile young woman. "What do you want from my sister, Faith?"

Uncomfortably, the dark woman shifted. "Short answer? Want 'er to forgive me," she said curtly.

"What's the long answer?" Dawn's serious gaze caught and held Faith's. The older woman was suddenly very aware of the fact that Dawn wasn't...quite...human, in a way. Those green eyes certainly held a depth and mystery that belied the youthful face out of which they peered. Willow's words came back to her. _"She's the Key. We still don't really understand what that means..."_

Faith was unsettled, but she tried not to show it. She looked down at the mat. "Long answer? I wanna be her friend," she muttered. "Show 'er I can fly right. Be what I shoulda been to her back when I was young an' stupid. You know, help 'er out an' shit." She looked back up. "I ain't here to hurt her, Dawn."

"I know." The younger woman nodded. "I already checked the runes and the cards about you. There's dark energy around you, Faith, and sometimes it'll use you, but it isn't your soul. It isn't _you."_

The dark Slayer's discomfort increased. "God, since when are you all Sylvia Browne?"

Dawn gave a small, enigmatic smile. "Sorry. You haven't talked to me since I started learning magics. I guess it must be a little confusing."

"Yeah. Confusing." Faith snorted. "'Specially 'cause Red tells me I never knew you at all, what with the whole Key thing." The younger woman nodded silently. "Is that...weird...for you?" Faith asked hesitantly. "I mean, knowin' everything you remember before you got here ain't even true?"

"I was pretty upset about it for a while," Dawn said. "And sometimes it still does bother me, because I know I'm not like other people in some ways. But I figured out the important things. And if I hold onto those, everything else usually sorts itself out." She smiled at Faith. "I know Buffy loves me, and I love her. Same with Willow and Xander and Craig. And I know I want to use whatever power I have to keep those people as safe as I can."

"Craig. Yeah, I heard you got yourself a boy toy," Faith said. "You two pretty serious? Red seems t' think so."

Dawn nodded. "We've been dating a year and a half. He's great. He seems to deal with my life okay." She gave Faith an appraising look. Then, seeming to make a decision, she got up. "Well, I think we're supposed to be training. What do you want to do first? Sparring, or drills, or what?"

Faith grimaced. "Guess we better do drills," she said. "I did a buncha weights an' cardio stuff in prison, but they don't exactly let ya do a lotta martial arts work. Betcha I don't even remember which end of a damn sword to hold." She sighed and rose to her feet. "You're prob'ly gonna have to show me some stuff."

"That's what I'm here for," Dawn said cheerfully. "We'll start out slow. How are you with tai chi?"

They worked together for some time on some basic tai chi forms. Faith had never done anything like it before - her fighting style had always been a mixture of explosive kung fu-style moves mixed with scrappy street fighting and some sword play. The tai chi seemed to concentrate on grace and maintaining perfect control of her body. It was kind of relaxing, she thought.

After a while, Faith started to get restless. "No offense, Dawn, but I'm jonesing t' hit somethin'," she said. "Can we punch the bags now?"

"Actually, I think we should spar," Dawn said, falling out of the tai chi position she'd been holding. "I need to know exactly where you are in your fighting skills so I can figure out the best way to train you. And the best way to figure that out is to fight you." She moved back a few steps and stood up straight, looking at Faith. "Attack me." Then, seeing the dark Slayer's hesitance, "Relax, I can take it. Come on, attack me."

"It ain't you I'm worried about," Faith muttered. Nevertheless, she sprang and swung a fist at the younger woman's head. Dawn slid sideways, twisting her body out of the way. Faith spun, whipping her leg up in a roundhouse kick. Again, Dawn avoided the blow. Then they came together in earnest, with Faith actively trying to connect with her strikes, and Dawn blocking or dodging them almost effortlessly.

Finally, when Faith was exhausted and panting, the younger girl stepped back and held up a hand. "Okay, that's enough."

"Like hell," snarled the frustrated Faith. "I ain't tagged you yet!"

The Summers girl lifted a brow and smiled coolly. "That isn't what this was about," she said. "I just needed to see where you were at, and now I know." She glanced up at the clock on the wall. "We've got another hour before your patrol," she said. "Go skip rope for half an hour, and then you can hit the treadmill. I'll talk to Willow and come up with a training schedule that'll work for you. We can go over that next time."

The dark Slayer's eyes narrowed slightly. "You know I got issues with authority figures, right?"

"Yep. But you're going to go do it anyway, because I'm your trainer." Dawn went back to the hanging punching bag she'd been working with earlier. As Faith watched, the younger woman resumed hitting the bag, alternating punches with vicious kicks. With a sigh and much internal grumbling, Faith went to the wall where the skipping ropes were stored, pulled one out, and set to work.

The workout made Faith feel better. By the time the hour was up, she'd worked up a good sweat. Dawn tossed her a towel and then took one for herself with a quiet smile. "That was good. Your cardio's all right, and it looks like you've kept your muscles strong. Your flexibility might need some work, but you're pretty good, considering you've been out of slaying for sixteen years."

"Yeah. Not bad for an old coot, I guess." Faith shrugged and glanced at her. "Y'know, back when I was sixteen, I didn't think I was even gonna live t'see twenty. Slayers never did."

Dawn nodded. "Buffy was the same," she said. "She really never started talking about the future or anything until after we defeated the First, and Willow did that spell to activate all the Potentials." She smiled as they walked back to the dressing room together. "Things are better now. Slayers usually go out in groups of three, and it's a lot safer. We've got technology now, too. Willow had a lot of fun with that for a while."

Faith arched a brow as she pushed open the door to the showers. "Technology?"

"Sure. You know, guns that fire stakes, flack jackets, holy water grenades, neck guards to protect against vampire teeth. That kind of thing."

The dark Slayer blinked and stripped off her sweaty shirt. "God. An' here I always just wore high collars an' carried a pointy stick." Dawn giggled as she stepped into a shower stall. "Seems like this slayin' gig's gone kinda mainstream." Faith stepped into her own shower and turned on the water.

"Not really." Dawn's voice echoed weirdly through the spraying water. "The general public still knows as little as possible. But we do have more government people who know what's going on, and we sometimes exchange information." There was a pause. "They don't really like that we exist outside their control. I think their solution would be to nuke all the Hellmouths."

Faith pumped some soap out of the dispenser and began to scrub herself down. "An' that's a bad idea why?"

"Well, for one thing, the Hellmouths are pretty much all beneath major urban centers." Dawn sounded amused. "Can you picture a politician trying to sell America on the idea of nuking Los Angeles, Bridgeport, Fort Lauderdale, Portland, San Antonio and Washington, DC? And without telling the population about Hellmouths? I'm sure that would go over just great."

"Oh, yeah. Good point." Faith tilted her head back to let the warm water rinse the soap out of her hair. "Still, would be hella easier. Get th' civs out, drop a nuke, poof - all done."

Dawn laughed a bit. "Not a good idea, though. Some demons like radiation. We'd probably end up creating some kind of real life Godzilla or something." Faith winced at the idea. She stepped out of the shower and towelled herself off. "We have classes for Slayers now, too. Schools. They learn Slayer-specific skills while they get their high school education. We have two schools in the US, one in Rome, and we're working on establishing one in China."

"Brave new world." Faith buttoned up her jeans. "Guess they can afford t' do without washed-up ex-cons, then, with so many Slayers runnin' around now."

The Summers girl paused in the act of towelling her hair. Her penetrating green eyes fixed themselves on Faith. "Is that what you think?" The dark Slayer tugged her t-shirt over her head and shrugged. "Because that's not what I think."

"You ain't the Council. An' you ain't B." Faith sat down to pull on her motorcycle boots and fasten the straps. "Big sis wishes I'd choke, Dawn. Don't really blame her."

"You should." Faith looked up sharply, but Dawn's expression was simply matter-of-fact. "She's got a block when it comes to you, Faith. She's forgiven people for doing worse than that. I mean, Willow alone far outstripped anything you ever did."

Faith paused in the act of fastening the last buckle on her left boot. "Red? Why, what's Red ever done? Ain't she the vanilla little bookworm?"

Dawn studied her for a moment. "Well, I'm not sure I should be the one telling you this, but it is common knowledge. You'd find out sooner or later," she said. "You heard that Tara was shot, right?" Faith nodded. "Well, Willow was...I guess she was a junkie at the time. Not drugs, though - addictive black magic. When Tara died, Willow went off the deep end. She...well, it's hard to describe. Her hair and her eyes went all black, and there were these dark veins on her face." Dawn paused. "She hunted down and murdered Warren, the guy who killed Tara. Buffy said Willow ripped his skin off and incinerated him."

Faith's mouth fell open in shock. "She what?"

"Then she went to this black magic dealer and killed him, too. She wanted to kill Andrew and Jonathan because they'd kind of teamed up with Warren, even though they didn't have anything to do with Tara getting shot. She beat up Anya and Giles and Buffy, and then..."

"Wait, hang on. Red kicked B's ass?" The dark Slayer couldn't believe her ears.

The younger woman gave her an enigmatic smile. "You don't really know how powerful a witch Willow is, do you?"

"Obviously not." Faith was floored. "God...I mean, Red's...she's got mojo, but I just can't picture her doin' crap like that. I mean, Red was always the one who flossed an' listened to Enya an' did homework an' stuff."

"It was the black magic. It did stuff to her." Dawn tugged on a pair of jeans, followed by white tennis shoes. "She sucked a bunch of magic out of Giles once she beat him up, and then she went to try to destroy the world."

Faith laughed. Then she saw Dawn's serious expression, and groaned. "Aw, you gotta be kiddin' me."

"No, I'm not." Dawn slung a denim jacket over her shoulders. "Buffy and I were stuck in a hole in a graveyard fighting some weird dirt monsters that Willow sent after us. Willow went to a Satanic temple on Kingman's Bluff and was doing some spell to burn the world. Xander stopped her."

"Holy shit, man." Faith rubbed her chin absently. "I mean, my contacts said that Red was the new power t' look out for, but no one ever told me all this crap."

"Yeah. And Buffy forgave her," Dawn said pointedly. "But not you. There's something about you that makes her hold that anger against you. What do you think it is?" The dark Slayer gave her a suspicious look. "Well, there must be something. And Buffy won't talk to me about it."

Faith picked up her rucksack and started for the door, pulling on her leather jacket as she went. "You might not've noticed, kid," she said dryly, "but your big sis don't exactly share a lotta heart-to-hearts with me. An' she sure as hell doesn't tell me why she does stuff."

"I know," Dawn said, following. "But you said you want her to forgive you. The cards show a strong connection between the two of you - but it's a connection marked by a lot of strife and misunderstandings. If you want to ever get past that, you're going to have to figure out what it is about you that makes Buffy so angry."

"I was wrong," Faith said. "You ain't Sylvia Browne, you're Doctor fuckin' Laura." The younger woman gave her a look. "Seriously, though. How come you're all worked up 'bout this? You don't even know me, not really."

"Buffy's my sister," Dawn said quietly. "I love her more than anyone else in the world. I care about anything that might influence her fate. And you will. A lot." She studied Faith again with an enigmatic look that made the dark woman very uncomfortable. "Your line crosses with hers," she murmured. "Always hers. It's inevitable, like yin and yang. But be careful, Faith. It's a volatile connection. It could easily explode, and there's so much more at stake now than there was then. And if you hurt her..."

The dark Slayer sighed. "Then you an' Red an' whoever the hell else will kick my ass. I got it, Dawn." She lifted a hand. "I ain't gonna hurt B. I promise."

Dawn regarded her silently for a moment. Then she nodded and smiled a bit. "All right. As long as we're clear on that." She stopped walking. "Hey. Want a ride to your patrol area?"

Faith looked down, and her eyebrows rose. They were standing beside a sleek blue motorcycle - a Ninja, if Faith knew anything about bikes, and she did. "Hey," she said, her interest piqued. "Not bad." She noted the smug look on Dawn's face, and grinned. "I'm more a Harley girl myself, but I got nothin' against a sweet crotch rocket." She ducked down to look at the engine. "Nice. Betcha this baby can move when you open 'er up."

"Oh, yeah," Dawn said cheerfully. "So, you want a ride?"

"Sure." The dark Slayer smiled at her. "I ain't ridden bitch seat in a long time, though. You sure I can't drive 'er?"

"Maybe later. This is my show off time. It isn't every day I get to wow Faith Lehane with my riding prowess." Dawn plucked a helmet from her bag. "I've only got one of these. Do you mind?" Faith only laughed. The younger woman shoved on the helmet and swung astride the motorcycle. Faith hopped on the back and rather self-consciously grasped Dawn around the waist. The girl's body felt very solid, despite her slim stature. _Must be a Summers thing. B's the same way,_ Faith reflected. "Ready?" Dawn grinned back over her shoulder as she started the engine. "Hang on tight!" And the Ninja sped out of the parking lot, weaving into the flow of Los Angeles traffic.


	7. Chapter 7

Saturday at last. Faith eyed the clock wistfully.

This was her fourth day working at Gas Em Up. It was a pretty miserable job. Back in prison, Faith had often been called on for bathroom duty. She'd spent hundreds of hours scouring nameless filth off tile and porcelain with guards breathing down her neck. But as unpleasant as that had been, she wasn't sure that she would have traded it for this.

Only one person worked at Gas Em Up at a time, it seemed. That included the till, the cleaning, the security, and anything else that might come up. Tony was pretty much always in his office. What he did in there, Faith didn't know. _Prob'ly reads Penthouse an' drinks beer_, she thought snidely. _Gives him time to come up with more creative ways to insult me._

She'd spent most of her hours today - and her prior three shifts - in cleaning. No one else seemed to care that the place stank, but Faith couldn't stand the stench anymore. She'd scrubbed things until she was sure she'd never get the grime off her skin again. There was an improvement now, though. Faith stood up straighter and gave an experimental sniff. She could still smell the faint odors of gasoline and rancid oil, but the sour milk smell was gone, courtesy of an extended freezer scouring the day before.

It still wasn't exactly Shangri-La, but at least she didn't feel like throwing up anymore whenever she accidentally touched something.

Faith had even cleaned the counter and the cash register. She eyed them doubtfully. They still looked dilapidated, but at least they weren't filthy. She could have a modicum of self-respect standing behind the damn things. Faith sighed. She wanted a cigarette.

That thought brought a smile to her lips. She tenderly patted her pants pocket, relishing the rustle of paper inside it. Tony had reluctantly handed her a check this morning. Counting today's shift, she'd earned just over two hundred dollars this week. _So now I can keep myself in smokes, an' start givin' Red a few bucks for rent. Sweet_. Her dark eyes rested on the much-smeared front window of the gas station. _Better keep lookin' for another job, though_, she thought wryly. _Sure as hell don't wanna do this forever_.

The bell above the front door sounded. Faith looked up to see John, her nineteen-year-old coworker, slouching into the store. She breathed an inward sigh of relief, reached down behind the counter, and picked up her duffel bag. "Hey," she muttered as she slung it over her shoulder.

The boy glanced at her from under the brim of his hat. "Hey," he mumbled back.

"See ya." Faith nodded at him. He grunted, and the Slayer gratefully took her leave of the gas station.

She was on a tight schedule, just like she seemed to be every day lately. She'd gotten up at six to run the ten daily miles Dawn had assigned to her. Then she'd had some time to shower and eat before she headed to work at eight. She'd worked there for her eight-hour shift; and now, at four, she had a bus to catch so she could get to the gym on time for her formal training session with Dawn at five-thirty. There were books in her bag for her to study on the bus for her GED classes. And then, after her training, she'd probably just have time to grab a hamburger or something before starting her nightly slaying patrol, which would go on until one in the morning. Naphu would shift her off then so Faith could go home and grab some sleep before the insanity started again the next day.

Faith was tired just thinking about it. She sighed and picked up the pace. The last thing she needed was to miss her bus. She wound up having to run, but she made it. Panting, she swiped her transport pass through the card reader and plunked her self down in an empty seat. She gave herself a minute or two to rest before dutifully digging in her duffel bag and cracking open a book.

_God, how glad am I that Angel's comin' to talk to me tonight?_ She flipped pages with a sense of relief. _My beat'll be better with him along. Haven't had a good talk with him in ages_. Faith smiled to herself as she started to study a chapter on the history of the Civil War.

Studying wasn't something that came naturally to her. She'd always been far more interested in comic books than math books, and had never really sat still long enough to even want to read. Faith wasn't at all stupid. She just naturally gravitated to movement - running, dancing, fighting. In a way, getting her GED was going to be more of a challenge to her than anything else she was trying to accomplish. She rested her chin on her hand and looked at the illustration of Civil War soldiers in the book. _Hey, I think I dusted a couple of vamps wearin' duds like that once,_ she mused. _God, those are from the 1800's...guess not all vampires change their clothes. Jesus, no wonder they stink. Nasty. Glad Angel doesn't run around in whatever the hell he was wearin' back when he got turned_.

The hour on the bus passed surprisingly quickly. Faith tucked away her books and headed into the building. She ducked into the dressing room. Dawn had come and gone, her pile of discarded street clothes bearing mute testimony to the fact. Faith checked her watch - she still had fifteen minutes until their session officially started. She quickly shucked off her work uniform and hat, tugged on her cutoffs and t-shirt, and wrapped up her hands. She hoped she'd have the chance to actually hit something this time - Dawn had been insisting that she concentrate on tai chi, cardio work and meditation exercises so far.

The gym was quiet when she entered it. Dawn was sitting on a mat cross-legged, gazing silently into the depths of a large, purplish crystal that rested before her. With an inward sigh, Faith went over to sit down quietly across from her. Dawn's deep green eyes met hers - she somehow managed to convey a smile without moving her lips at all. Then her gaze lowered back to the crystal. Faith sighed, audibly this time, and focused her own eyes on the object. There was a flaw in the center of the stone, like a tiny bit of mist trapped within the clear crystal. As she'd been taught, Faith focused on it. She felt her breathing deepen and her muscles relax.

After a while, Dawn finally stirred. She passed her hand between Faith's eyes and the stone, breaking the bruentte's concentration. "Good," Dawn said with a quiet smile. "Are you ready for your training now, Faith?"

The dark Slayer nodded. "Yeah. Let's do it. What you got for me?"

"The usual, to begin with. Something a bit different later, maybe." The Summers girl got up and moved into the first tai chi form. "Follow my lead this time," she murmured. "We're not doing a set sequence. Just do what I do."

As much as Faith would have preferred to be taking out her frustrations on a punching bag or a training dummy, she had to admit that the meditation and slow movements were calming her. The nervous energy that had been crackling under her skin had faded into a sense of peace. She followed her trainer's movements closely, taking care that her form mirrored Dawn's as much as possible.

After a while, Faith sighed. "Dawn?" The younger woman frowned reproachfully, but Faith ignored it. "How come you won't let me punch stuff?"

The Summers girl eyed her. Then, with a grudging smile, she sat down on the mat and patted it in silent invitation. Faith obligingly sat down where she was. "Slayers can usually be trained like army recruits," Dawn said. "We do it that way most of the time. You know, group classes, obstacle courses, training exercises and that kind of thing. But every now and then there'll be one who's different, for whatever reason. Some are just lone wolves. Some have different psyches."

Faith lifted a brow. "You callin' me a wolf, Summers?"

"Nope. I'm calling you a special case." Dawn looked at her quietly. "Tell me about your first vampire kill, Faith."

The bruentte looked at her strangely. "Uh...not much to tell, really. I woulda been, like, eleven. Ran away from home a couple months before that. I was tryin' to sleep in Boston Common Park, an' some greasy vamp with dreads attacked me. I just kinda knew what to do 'bout it, somehow. Kicked him in the chest to knock 'im back, broke off a branch, nailed the dude in the chest with it when he came at me again. Poof - dust."

"That's because you're a natural fighter," Dawn said. "You never really had that much training in fighting, but you've never had any trouble killing your opponents." She paused and caught Faith's eyes with her own. "As your trainer, my job is to make you a stronger and better Slayer, so that you have a better chance of staying alive," she said gravely. "You've never needed help to learn how to hit things. Your weak point, Faith, is your focus and control. That's what we're working on."

The dark Slayer scowled. "So I can be real focused while them vamps are kickin' my ass."

"Faith." Dawn hugged her knees and looked at her in faint exasperation. "We will roll fighting into your schedule, all right? Of course it's a valuable part of your training, and of course I'll incorporate it. But I want these concentration exercises to be firmly ingrained in you first. It's important. Willow and I are together on this."

"It ain't..." Faith hesitated, her jaw working. "Look, Dawn, I ain't sayin' you're wrong about all that, a'right? An' I'll do your damn crystals an' tai chi, or whatever. But I need to hit stuff. I need the fists hittin' leather, or somethin'. It does somethin' to me when I don't got that goin' on, an' it ain't pretty. So can I go a few rounds with the bag instead of that damn exercise bike?"

Dawn's eyes softened, and she sighed. "Okay, okay," she said. "Just make sure you go at it good and hard. It's for the cardio, you know."

Faith lowered her head. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Dawn got up. "Now, let's focus, Faith. Tai chi." The dark Slayer rose and resumed the exercise with fresh motivation.

It was amazing, she reflected later, what a good session of boxing could do for her psyche. She felt good. A grin curved her lips as she soaped herself up under the shower. She could hear Dawn humming to herself in the adjacent stall. After a moment, the younger woman's voice rose above the sound of spraying water. "Hey, do you need a ride out to the docks, Faith?"

"Not this time," the bruentte responded. "Angel's pickin' me up. He's gonna come with on my patrol so we can catch up a bit."

"Really?" Dawn's voice perked up. "I haven't talked to him in weeks. Maybe I can coax a hug out of him before you two head out."

"For little Dawnie? Heh. He'll hug ya," Faith said with some amusement. "You always did have everyone wrapped around your finger with that kinda thing. Red, Angel, Tara...God, even that bastard Spike." She squeezed the water out of her hair and stepped out of the shower as she spoke.

"Spike really came through for us in the end, you know," the younger woman remarked. "If it hadn't been for him, I don't know if any of us would have come out alive. There were thousands of those uber-vampires, Buffy was hurt pretty bad, and we'd already lost three of the activated Potentials." Faith looked at her with interest. "You never really heard the whole story about us beating the First, did you?"

"Not the whole one, I guess," Faith said with a shrug. "Heard it was one hell of a fight, an' saw the crater." She breathed a sigh. "Wish I coulda been there to help," she said quietly. "I should've. If I'd known what was goin' on, I would've busted outta jail. Bet you guys coulda used another sword or two."

Dawn wrapped herself in a towel and looked at her soberly. "We did think about contacting you," she said. "But in the end, Giles and Buffy decided that there was enough dangerous stuff going on...they still weren't sure of your loyalties." Faith couldn't help wincing a little. "I think they were wrong, though," Dawn said reflectively, rummaging for her discarded street clothes. "You were kind of messed up, but you would have fought alongside us. I don't think Buffy ever really understood why you wound up on the Mayor's side."

"Oh, and you do?" Faith eyed her with amusement as she began to get dressed.

"Yeah. I think I do." Dawn tapped the side of her head. "I've got a sixth sense."

"Uh huh." The dark Slayer's tone dripped with sarcasm.

The Summers girl sat down to put on her platform sandals. "All right then, tell me if I'm wrong," she said. "When you got to Sunnydale, you were scared spitless of that Kakistos guy, but you're tough and self-sufficient, so you didn't tell anyone. You wanted to impress Buffy and the others. You wanted in." Dawn stuffed her soiled gym clothes into her bag. "But Buffy didn't really trust you at first, and the others picked up on that, so they didn't let you in either - not really. You weren't invited to the Scooby meetings. They just called you in whenever they needed your help, and they just left you living in that motel room. No one even asked if that's what you wanted."

Faith shifted uncomfortably. She tried to cover it up by putting on her heavy boots. "I was okay there," she mumbled. "Rather have my own place, even if it's a hole."

"That's not the point. They didn't ask. They didn't care." Dawn sat back and looked at her. "Then came that fake Watcher. She got you to trust her and even turn against Buffy, and then she stabbed you in the back for it. That just widened the rift between you and the Scoobies." Dawn pointed at her. "But you still wanted someone to care about you. You're human, and you need that. And you were in an extra vulnerable place after you accidentally killed that man. So when the Mayor took an interest in you, you gravitated to it. He gave you what we should have been giving you from the beginning, right? Friendship and support."

"God, you are Doctor Laura." Faith grimaced. Dawn arched a brow, and the dark Slayer sighed. "Fine. Yeah, that's more or less it, I guess. The Mayor was nice to me, an' I fell for it like the stupid moron I was." She zipped up her duffel bag. "Doesn't excuse what I did, though," she said quietly. "I knew it was wrong. But I was so pissed at B by then, I just didn't give a shit. I wanted her to hurt."

"That's human, too," Dawn said quietly. "It's natural to want revenge when someone hurts you. I did. When Warren killed Tara, I pretty much told Buffy to let Willow at him. I wanted him dead." She breathed deeply and looked down. "Then I saw what it did to Willow, and I realized I'd been wrong."

Faith sat down on a bench and leaned back against the wall, her black leather jacket draped loosely over her knees. "Still haven't talked to Red about that," she murmured. "Wonder if I should? I mean...I get that whole having killed someone thing."

Dawn nodded seriously. "That would probably be a really good idea," she said. "You and Willow have some different issues, of course, but I'll bet you could really help each other out that way." She rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Buffy's talked with her about it a lot, of course, and...and Giles did. He'd murdered before, and he...she said he understood." The younger woman gave Faith a tiny smile. "Giles was like a dad to all of us. It was really awful when he died."

The brunette looked away and shrugged. "Never knew the guy as well as I could've," she muttered. "But when I heard he got killed, I knew I was gonna make good an' sure whatever killed him got iced when I got out." Faith paused. "If you guys hadn't already done it by then."

The Summers girl regarded Faith as the dark Slayer rose to her feet. Then, quite deliberately, Dawn got up, put her arms around Faith, and gave her a hard squeeze. Faith was taken aback. Awkwardly, she patted Dawn's back. The younger woman laughed quietly as she let go. "Sorry," she said. "I just realized I hadn't thanked you for getting the demon that killed him yet. That meant a lot to us. All of us."

Faith's face suddenly felt hot. She cleared her throat and stooped to pick up her duffel bag. "No problem, kid," she mumbled. "I'm kinda good at killin' stuff. Figured I'd practice on somethin' worth killing for a change."

Dawn looked like she was about to say something. She paused, then sighed instead, and gave Faith a smile. "Well, I think we're done," she said. "Let's go out and see if Angel's waiting for you yet."

"Sure." The bruentte tossed her leather jacket over her shoulders and headed out of the dressing room, with Dawn following at her heels.


	8. Chapter 8

The docks were quiet, as they usually were. There were a couple of smaller ships being unloaded by tired deckhands, but the streets were otherwise relatively deserted. People didn't really frequent the industrial area after dark. And neither, therefore, did vampires.

...Well, perhaps one did. Faith glanced over at Angel. He was dressed casually in a pair of brown trousers and a white cotton shirt. His hands were thrust into his pockets as he strolled along, looking around with mild interest as they walked. The two of them hadn't said much since meeting in the parking lot of the training complex. They'd headed out here right away after Angel gave Dawn her hug, stopping once at a drive-through so that Faith could grab a double hamburger for the road. They'd been simply walking in companionable silence for about five minutes.

Faith's dark eyes swept the street ahead. She heard the vampire clear his throat. "So, how's Los Angeles been treating you, Faith?"

"Fair. It's been a'right." The Slayer twirled her stake absently through her fingers. "Still lookin' for a better job, but I got one, so I'm good. An' I ain't failed any tests or nothin', so I guess the GED's going okay. Haven't been arrested. Dawn's a'right with how I'm doin' in her program, an' B ain't killed me yet. Guess I'm doin' okay."

Angel smiled a bit. "Has Buffy been giving you a hard time?" he asked.

The woman shrugged. "Kinda. But I ain't seen her since she said she'd let me slay unofficially, so I guess it's a'right. For now." She studied her stake. It was a new one. Dawn had given it to her during her second training session. It was made of lacquered wood with a core of reinforced steel, and a rubberized grip had been attached to its base. It was really more like a wooden dagger than the plain stakes Faith had been used to. The thing had great balance and strength, though. After using it once or twice, Faith had decided she liked it. "I do sorta wish I knew how t' help B understand that I'm really here to make good, though," she murmured. "She don't trust me. An' I...I wanna make it right."

The vampire's arm draped across Faith's shoulders and gave her a brief squeeze. "You will," he said. "You are. Just give her some time." The Slayer snorted. "No, really," Angel said seriously. "Buffy's stubborn sometimes, but she has a beautiful heart. She'll come around. Don't give up, Faith. It's only been a few weeks."

"I know," Faith mumbled. "But patience ain't exactly one of my good points."

"Good thing you have other ones, then." Angel's eyes twinkled just a bit. "But seriously, Buffy believes in fairness. It might take her a while, but when she sees that you're sincere, she'll give you your chance. It's just..." He sighed a bit. "She takes it very personally when people go after her friends and family. And in your case, that came with a personal betrayal, too. It's just a lot for her to get over."

Faith rubbed her eyes. "I was a damn stupid kid, Angel. I said I fucked up, I said I was sorry. An' I did my time. What more does she want me to do?"

"You'd have to ask her," he said quietly. "That's between the two of you."

Faith looked down. "She ain't into talkin' to me."

Angel gave a rueful chuckle and scratched his ear. "Sometimes with Buffy, you have to pursue your point," he said. "Not to the point where she starts to get violent, of course, but maybe you should try being more...insistent."

"Bad idea, Big A," Faith said ruefully. "She already threatened to kill me an' break all my bones, an' that was with me bein' all sad an' apologetic. If I start harassin' her on top of all that, I'm gonna wake up with a couple stakes in my ribs." He chuckled, and she gave him a look. "This ain't a game, man. She's stabbed me before. Remember? Did some hospital time."

His smile faded, and he sighed. "Yeah. I know. I'm sorry, I know it isn't funny." They walked for a minute or two longer before he changed the subject. "So you're living with Willow. How did that happen, exactly? I was surprised when you told me."

The Slayer grinned a bit and rubbed her sleeve awkwardly. "Wasn't planned," she said. "I went to her first when I got here. Figured she'd be the least likely to kick my ass on sight. We talked, an' I told 'er I'd killed Mastema in New York. Made her so happy she pretty much mugged me an' dragged me back home with her." She shrugged. "Besides, Red's a Watcher, right? She said she had to look out for me or somethin'."

Angel cocked his head. "How'd you find him?" Faith blinked at him. "Mastema, I mean. How did you find him?"

"Oh. That." Faith fiddled with the grip of her stake. "I, um...met a couple of chicks in prison," she said slowly. "Tattooed." She paused and looked at Angel out of the corner of her eye. He looked back at her grimly. "Heh. Guess I don't have to explain that to ya." She cleared her throat. "Anyway, no one from the good guys would tell me jack while I was in the clink. An' I wanted to know, y'know? I wanted to be sure B an' the rest were a'right." She seated her new stake firmly in its sheath, which was strapped to her right thigh. "So I started doin' the tattooed broads a few favors. You know, got 'em smokes, that kinda thing. Their names were Leah an' Krane. Leah belonged to some demon in San Diego, an' Krane's mistress was a vamp named Darla."

"Darla?" Angel looked startled for a moment. "Huh."

"You know her?" Faith broke off her story to peer at him curiously.

"Maybe. I once had an old...friend...by that name," he said dismissively. "So these women were thralls and you made friends with them?"

"Yeah. I did." Faith shoved her hands into her pockets and regarded the dimly-lit streets with pensive eyes. "They were okay, really. I mean, for inmates." She shrugged one shoulder. "Anyway, we got a deal goin'. I gave 'em stuff they wanted, an' they fed me info on B. Kane got killed a while later, but Leah was still in the slammer when they let me out." Faith paused. "I got Leah to ask her boss 'bout this Mastema creep. Turned out Leah's master didn't like the guy. Gave me the info like a nice little wrapped present an' told me to kill 'im. Worked out good for me."

The vampire regarded her quietly. "And you don't know the name of this demon who had Leah in thrall." Faith looked at him, but said nothing. He sighed after a while. "Well, at least you dealt with Mastema," he said. "He was very bad news."

"Not any more." Faith gave the vampire a crooked grin. "I gave the dude a_ real_ short haircut."

"Good work." Angel clapped her on the shoulder.

Before Faith could respond, her Slayer senses suddenly began to tingle. Her head came up, and her hand fell instinctively to her sheathed stake. Angel's head turned instantly to the alley on their left. "Trouble," Faith muttered, her lips curving into a wicked grin. "An' here I thought it was gonna be a dull night." She drew her stake. "C'mon, Angel. Let's go raise a little hell."

"That's the last thing we want to raise," Angel muttered, but he followed her into the alley nonetheless.

Faith spotted the running figure a moment later. With a burst of delighted laughter, the Slayer broke into a run, leaping effortlessly over garbage cans and discarded packing crates in her pursuit. Her quarry was fast, no question - she sprinted, her dark gaze fixed on the fleeing figure ahead. Angel's footsteps pounded the pavement behind her, but Faith had eyes only for her prey.

They were closing in now. Faith grinned with triumph as the running vampire darted into another alley in an attempt to shake off his pursuers. She caught a glimpse of dark hair and nondescript, black clothes. The Slayer followed, springing up and vaulting lightly over the dumpster that was hurriedly shoved in her direction. She fell fair on her feet. The vampire was only about twenty yards ahead by now. The distance had closed to ten by the time they burst out of the alley into the street.

And then, just as Faith gathered herself to leap onto her quarry's back, she saw the vampire's arm fling out toward her. There was a burst of purple light! Faith was blasted off her feet. She crashed to the cold concrete and rolled like a rag doll, tumbling until her body smashed against something equally hard and cold. There she lay, stunned, her eyes blinking dazedly at the cinderblock wall in front of her nose. Her head ached, and she could feel something warm and wet trickling down the side of her face. She was vaguely aware of snarling coming from somewhere nearby. Then there was momentary silence before running footsteps approached her.

"Faith?" That was Angel's voice. It sounded harsh and urgent. She felt his hands on her body, feeling her carefully for injuries. "Faith, can you hear me? Are you okay?"

To her horror, Faith suddenly found that she couldn't move. She couldn't even twitch her lips in order to speak. Only her eyes were still under her control. Panic flooded her, and she struggled against the paralysis, but nothing happened. Her heart thundered in her ears. She felt herself being rolled onto her back, and then Angel was peering down into her face. "Are you conscious, Faith?" he asked, peering into her eyes. The Slayer blinked furiously. "Okay," Angel said. She could hear the relief in his voice. "Listen, I think that vampire hit you with a spell of some kind. I'm going to call Willow and get help, all right? Just relax. You're going to be okay."

_Right. A spell. Of course_. Some of the panic bled off as Faith's mind sluggishly began to shake off the shock of what had happened. _That bloodsucker hit me with some kinda freeze spell. Okay, so I'm all right. Red'll come down here an' take off the whammy, an' I'll be okay._ Her head hurt badly. She felt as if the world was spinning underneath her. _God, I...I think I'm gonna faint.._. Faith let her eyes drift closed. After a brief struggle, she finally gave in, and let the darkness claim her.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

"Oh, for God's sake." Faith was utterly disgusted. "Look, Red, I'm _fine_. I just got my bell rung an' took a couple bruises. You took off the whammy, I ain't broken any bones, an' I'm five by five, a'right?"

The redheaded witch arched a brow and pointed imperiously at the couch. "Lie back down right now, Faith Lehane, or I'll hit you with a paralysis spell of my own," she ordered. "You're hurt and you were enchanted. You need to rest." Faith glowered at her, and Willow wriggled her fingers threateningly. "Lie down." Grumbling, the dark Slayer slowly lay back down on the couch she'd just abandoned and folded her arms across her chest to sulk.

Willow gave a tiny smile of triumph before turning her green eyes to Angel, who was standing at a window with his hands clasped behind his back. "So tell me again exactly what happened, Angel. Who did this?"

"I don't know who." The souled vampire turned to her with a grim expression. "It was a vampire, that much I know. He was dressed in black. There were no distinguishing marks that I could see. I broke his neck just after he hit Faith with whatever spell that was, so I didn't really have time to question him properly." He pointed at the digital camera sitting on the coffee table. "He was carrying that, though."

"A camera." Willow turned her attention to it. Faith watched her through lazily half-shut eyes. The witch hadn't even looked at the camera yet. She'd arrived in the street where Faith had fallen shortly after the Slayer had regained consciousness. Willow had actually teleported, not even bothering with her car. She'd then proceeded to teleport the three of them back to her house, and had immediately gone to work on breaking the spell that was preventing Faith from moving. The anxious attention had both annoyed and gratified Faith - she didn't think she'd ever been on the receiving end of so much mothering before. "A camera," Willow murmured again, bringing Faith's attention back to the present. "I wonder what a vampire was taking pictures of in the docks at midnight?" She opened the object and pulled out its memory chip.

"Beats me. Maybe the dude was a tourist," Faith quipped.

Willow have her a half-amused, half-exasperated look as she tugged her laptop over and switched it on. After a minute or two, she plugged the chip into the computer and pressed a few keys. Her green eyes widened a moment later. "Oh, shit," she whispered.

"What?" Faith raised herself up on her elbows so that she could see the screen. A row of images scrolled by as she watched. "W-wait, that's...is that B?" It was. Picture after picture scrolled by, all of them of Buffy: coming out of a white-stuccoed house with her hand on the shoulder of a little blond girl; walking in the back door of _Niveus Lacuna_; sitting at a desk in a place Faith didn't recognize (a shot obviously taken through a window.) The dark Slayer stared in astonishment. Her eyes grew even wider a moment later. "Fuck, Red, that's _me!" _she blurted. Image after image followed, of herself out jogging before dawn, and working at Gas Em Up, and (to her shock) training with Dawn, another series of pictures clearly taken through a window. The last few shots were of her patrolling with Angel.

There was silence for a minute or two. Then Willow spoke. "Well, I guess we're going to have to have an emergency Slayer meeting about this," she said quietly. "I'll go call the troops and get them over here." She glanced at Angel as she dialled her cell phone. "Do you mind making sure our big tough Slayer doesn't try to get up and slay any demons while I'm busy?"

He glanced at Faith, who scowled at him. "Sure," he said blithely. Willow nodded and stepped into the other room to make her calls. Angel gave Faith a quiet smile. "It's better for you to rest, you know."

"Yeah, yeah," the Slayer mumbled, folding her hands over her belly. "So why d'you think that bloodsucker was snappin' shots of me an' B? I'll lay odds he wasn't hopin' to sell 'em for the cover of _Underworld Vogue."_

"I have no idea," the vampire said. "But I would guess it doesn't mean anything good for either of you." He sat down in am armchair and tapped his fingers pensively on his knee. "I think I should call the home office," he said. "Do you mind?" Faith eyed him and shrugged. He tugged out a cell phone and punched a few buttons. "Hello? Hey, Gunn. It's Angel." He paused. "Okay. Never mind that. We'll need to schedule a meeting for the morning. Something's come up." He glanced at Faith. "Yeah, ten should be fine. Could you get someone to call everyone for me? ...Okay. Thanks. See you later."

The Slayer closed her eyes. Despite her protests to Willow, her head did still ache, and her bruised body was beginning to express its displeasure at its abuse. She sighed and glanced over at the door that led into the kitchen. She could see the witch leaning on the counter, her phone at her ear. "You feeling okay?" Faith's attention returned to Angel, who was looking at her with concern. "You went down pretty hard, Faith. Are you sure you're all right?"

Faith grimaced. "Well, I'm a little banged up, I guess," she admitted. "But don't you dare tell Red. She'll be puttin' me in a body cast in the ER next." He chuckled softly and nodded his agreement.

Willow reappeared a minute or two later. "Everyone's on their way," she said. "Naphu and Justin are only a couple of blocks away. Buffy's on patrol, but she should be able to make it here in about fifteen minutes. And Dawn said she'd teleport over, so she'll be here any second." She glanced at Faith with a nervous smile and resumed her perusal of the pictures on her laptop screen. "These ones really bother me," she said, pointing at the series of images of Dawn and Faith training together. "That's a Council building. There's security. That a vampire was able to get right up to the window and take these..." She shook her head and grimaced. "I don't like it."

"B won't like it, either," Faith said. "That's her sis in those."

"Yeah." Willow made a face, then dialled her cell phone again. "I'm going to get security at that building to look at our security camera footage. Maybe we can get a closer look at who that vampire was, and get a better idea of why he was taking those pictures." She turned away and put her phone to her ear.

Within twenty minutes, Willow's living room was a very different scene. Faith was still lying on the couch, now covered with a quilt and casting grumpy looks at Willow, who returned them with equally stern ones. Angel was slouched in the armchair. Naphu was sitting cross-legged and straight-backed on the floor facing the couch, with Justin sitting in a kitchen chair beside her. Buffy stood in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room, leaning on the doorframe. Dawn was sitting on the floor at her feet, leaning back against her older sister's legs with easy familiarity.

Willow, who now stood in the center of the rough semicircle of people, cleared her throat gently. "Thank you all for coming," she said. "I'm sorry to call you all here at two in the morning, but something came up on Faith's patrol that I think we need to discuss right away." She pushed a few keys on her laptop and directed their attention to the nearby widescreen television, which was now showing the images from her desktop. "Faith and Angel were out on patrol. Faith was about to slay a vampire when it hit her with a paralyzing spell and knocked her into the side of a building. Angel killed him. Before the vampire died, he dropped a digital camera with these pictures on it."

There was a sharp intake of breath from Buffy's direction as the pictures flashed across the screen. Dawn looked stricken. Naphu frowned, her brown eyes moving from the television to Willow. "It seems that our Slayers are being watched," she said. "Both Buffy and the rogue. Why?"

"We don't know yet," Willow said. "Angel and Faith didn't see any distinguishing marks on the vampire before he died. But we know this guy probably wasn't working alone. These pictures were for someone else's benefit. And we can also guess that Buffy and Faith are their targets, whoever they are."

The dark Slayer eyed the pictures. "Hey, Red, don't forget you an' Dawn," she said. "You're in some of the pics, too. Can't just assume the vamps aren't thinkin' about the two of you, y'know."

The witch looked at her and sighed. "True. We can't really assume much at all right now." She glanced at Buffy, then at Naphu and Justin. "Have any of you run into anything unusual in your rounds lately? Have any vampires been using magic against you, or anything like that?"

Justin shook his head. "No, nothing like that. In fact, things have been pretty quiet. Naphu and I haven't run into a group of more than three in months, and most have been pretty young ones."

Buffy nodded her agreement, her expression grim. "Same," she said. "I haven't seen much action since March, and it's mid-July." She grimaced. "And we all know what a quiet Hellmouth means. It's the calm before the storm." She peered at the screen. "Some of those were taken from just outside the Slayer training complex, weren't they? Don't we have security cameras there?"

"We do," Willow agreed. "But there's nothing. The security guys are going over the footage with a fine-toothed comb right now, but it doesn't look like we got anything, which is kinda impossible." She rubbed her nose. "Since the vampire was a magic user, though, it's possible that there was an invisibility spell involved, or something like that. In which case we might have a problem."

Gravely, Buffy nodded again. "We'll have to enlist witches on this one," she said. "I think all Council buildings should have magical security put in as well as electronic."

The redhead looked at the screen, which was displaying a photo of Faith getting out of Willow's car at the training complex. "Yeah," she said quietly. "Do you think Brian's coven would help us out, Buffy? I'd do it, but I think I'm gonna be a little busy for a while."

"I'm sure they will," Buffy said. "We work together." She looked over at the silent vampire. "How about Angel Investigations? Will you guys help us out?"

Angel nodded. "I already called Gunn," he said. "We'll meet in the morning and talk about what we know. We'll let the Council know about anything we can find out."

"Good." Willow hesitated, looking at Buffy. "And I think that we should implement some security measures for you and Faith until we know what we're dealing with here," she said. "I'm pretty sure this guy wasn't just taking your picture because he thought you were cute, Buffy. This is kind of icky. I'd rather not take stupid risks with you guys."

The blond's expression hardened. "I can take care of myself, Willow."

"Not against magic, you can't," the witch said quietly. "And that's what we're dealing with here. This guy just gave Faith one shot, and she was knocked right out. Who knows what would've happened if Angel hadn't been with her?" Buffy started to say something. "Buffy." Willow's voice grew just a touch louder. "As your Watcher, I'm telling you and Faith not to go anywhere alone until we know what's going on." She looked at the younger Summers girl. "Dawn, can you stay with your sister for a while? Your magic skills should be up to keeping her safe."

"Sure," Dawn said soberly. "I can do that."

Buffy growled. "I don't need a babysitter just because Faith couldn't handle one vampire," she said. "Unlike some people, I haven't been just sitting around for sixteen years."

Anger and hurt sent a jolt of adrenaline through Faith's body. She sat up, holding herself in place with an arm draped over the back of the couch, and stared at the blond Slayer incredulously. "C'mon, B. What the hell'd I do to deserve that?" she protested.

"That wasn't cool, Buffy." Dawn frowned up at her sister before Willow could say anything. "This isn't Faith's fault."

"No one said it was," Buffy snapped. "But I've been a Slayer for twenty years. I can take care of myself. It's ridiculous to start assigning me bodyguards just because some vampire was running around taking my picture."

"Buffy." Willow's tone was gentle and weary. She was rubbing her eyes, and looked as if she was struggling for patience. "I know you don't like it. Faith won't like it either. But you're a vital part of the anti-Hellmouth team here in LA, and you're my best friend. I don't want to see anything happen to you. Just please, keep Dawn with you for a few days until we can figure out who's been following you and why, okay?"

The blond Slayer slumped back against the doorframe. "Okay, okay. Fine," she sighed, most of the anger leeching from her voice. She gave Willow an apologetic glance. "I'm sorry. I just really hate that kind of thing."

"I know you do." The witch gave her a brief smile that was full of forgiveness. Then she looked at Faith. "I guess I'll have to stick with you for a while." she said. "I think I can probably counteract any bippity boppity boo that anyone wants to throw at you, Faith." Her eyes flicked to the half-demon. "Naphu, Justin, I want you two out in the streets. Put your ear to the ground and see what you can find out about what's going on - anything about groups of vampires after Buffy, or planning any weird magical rituals. Go." The two inclined their heads and left without a word. "Angel, thanks for your help," Willow went on, smiling at the vampire. "If you wouldn't mind, could you make looking into this a priority?"

"Sure. I was going to, anyway." He stood up and nodded at Faith. "Sorry our little heart to heart got crashed."

The dark Slayer shrugged and grinned. "Not your fault, Big A. We'll rap later." Angel nodded. He squeezed Dawn's shoulder as he walked past her, gave Buffy a quiet smile, and slipped out of the house.

The younger Summers girl rose to her feet and moved over to the couch as Willow and Buffy began to talk in low voices. Faith looked up at her with a rueful smile. "Hey, Dawn," she said. "This whole mess pull you outta bed?"

"No, actually. I was studying a new artefact we just got. It's a Babylonian tablet with the epic of Gilgamesh on it. I lost all track of time," Dawn said cheerfully. She plunked herself down on the floor by the couch and peered at the Slayer. "So, are you really okay?" she asked. "How badly were you hurt?"

"I'm cool," Faith said. "I just got tossed into a wall. No biggie. Didn't break nothin'. Got a headache an' some bruises, but nothin' I can't handle." She arched a brow. "Why? Thinkin' of axing our trainin' tomorrow?"

"Not if you're fine, no." The Summers girl grinned at her. Then she sighed. "Listen, I'm sorry. I think Willow and I should've teamed you up with someone on your patrols for the first while, at least until you're back in top form. If Angel hadn't been there tonight, it could have been really bad."

"He was, and it wasn't," Faith shrugged. "Besides, whoever was with me would've prob'ly got zapped, too. We don't have witch-vamps very often, Dawn. Ain't like we plan for 'em."

"No. I guess not." Dawn paused. "Hey, Faith, I've got a random question." The Slayer looked at her questioningly. "You have nicknames for everyone. I mean, 'Red' and 'B' and 'Big A,' and all that. But you never call me anything but Dawn. Why is that?"

The question caught Faith off guard. She stared at the younger woman for a moment or two, thinking. "I...well, I dunno, really," she said. "It's just a thing I do, the nickname deal. But you're...I dunno, man. You're just Dawn. You don't need the mojo."

Dawn's brow furrowed. "What does that mean?"

Faith shrugged uncomfortably. "Means you're a'right," she said. "An'..." She paused, considering her words carefully. "Guess I kinda respect you or somethin'," she mumbled. "Beats me. Ain't somethin' that happens to me a lot." Dawn cocked her head, and Faith looked at her out of the corner of her eye. "You want one? I can figure out somethin' t' call you if that bugs you, kid."

"No. That's all right. I just wondered, that's all." The youngest Summers gave her a sweet smile. "I'm really glad you're okay, by the way." Faith snorted a bit. "Oh, and I'm sorry about Buffy," Dawn murmured. "You know, what she said earlier. You didn't deserve it."

"Matter of opinion." Faith shrugged and smiled. "Thanks, though," she added quietly. "Just hope I can get 'er to forgive me sometime."

Dawn smiled and squeezed her knee. "Don't give up," she whispered. Then, with a final pat to Faith's leg, she got up. "Good night, Faith. Get some rest. We'll see how you're feeling once you get to the training center tomorrow, okay? Maybe I'll go easy on you." Faith snorted, and Dawn giggled softly. "See you." Faith nodded, giving her a crooked smirk.

A few minutes later, the Summers girls left the house. Faith lay idly and listened as Willow locked the door behind them. She turned her head as the witch returned and fixed her with a lazy look. "Well, that was kinda interesting," she drawled. "Can't say we never get excitement 'round here, huh?"

"Yeah. We get more of it than I like." Willow smiled a bit. She stooped down and patted Faith's hand, which was resting on the blanket. "Get some sleep. I'll go grab a sleeping bag, and we'll camp out here tonight." She paused. "We'll have to figure out how to work things tomorrow. What was your schedule supposed to be?"

Faith took a deep breath. "Run at six, work from eight to noon, community service garbage pickin' one to four-thirty, train with Dawn six to nine, patrol nine thirty to whatever goddamn hour the vamps quit tryin' to suck folks." She smiled sweetly at the witch. "What's yours?"

Willow huffed, blowing the fringe of flame-red hair back from her own forehead. "Well, I can bring my laptop and cell phone with me, so I guess I'll just tag along with you," she said. "This is going to be an interesting day." Faith chuckled, and Willow patted her arm. "Just go to sleep. We'll figure stuff out in the morning." She arched a brow at the grinning Slayer. "And we're skipping your insanely early run. Watcher's orders." Faith only laughed.

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	9. Chapter 9

"Okay, _ew." _Faith smirked at the words, but didn't pause in her progress through Gas Em Up to the tiny employee lounge at the back. She tossed her bag down by the vinyl-covered sofa in the back, rescued her baseball cap from a hook on the wall, and put it on. Willow appeared in the doorway behind her, looking around with her nose wrinkled in distaste. "I can see why you weren't too excited to get a job here," she said. "This place is worse than the Doublemeat Palace. Nasty."

Faith smirked. "Shoulda seen it before I started cleanin'," she said dryly. She glanced at the door to Tony's office. There was no light. "Guess my boss ain't in yet."

Willow sighed. "Well, I don't blame him for not wanting to hang around here." She examined a filthy shelf with boxed potato chips on it and made a face. "Yuck." Faith chuckled softly. With a sigh, Willow shook her head. "Well, people probably wouldn't be too excited about me hanging out here all day, so I'm going to do a little invisibility spell," she said. "It'll make it so no one can see me except you. That way I can keep an eye on you without causing trouble."

"You could cause some if you wanted, Red," Faith said, digging in the janitorial closet for a bucket and some bleach. "This place is damn boring most of the time. Trouble'd be more fun."

"And get you fired, hello." The redhead gave her a look. Then, taking a pouch from her pocket, she withdrew a clear crystal from it and clasped it firmly in her right hand. She held up the clenched fist to the light and gazed at it intently. "_Velius absque fide_." A flash of white light made Faith flinch and look away. When she looked back, Willow gave her a prim smile and tucked the crystal away. "There."

Faith raised a brow. "You're invisible now?"

"Yep," Willow said cheerfully. "So, is there anywhere in this store that no one ever goes? I'll set up my little work station there."

The dark Slayer shrugged, hefting her bucket of bleach water and a brush. "Yeah. Guess no one really goes near the fridge with the milk in it. Kinda smells like rotten crap back there, an' I never seen anybody buyin' the damn milk." The witch shivered, but nodded and headed for the corner with the indicated fridge. Faith smiled a bit as she began to take potato chips off the shelf in preparation for a good scrubbing.

The scouring went well. Faith got the caked grime off the metal and plastic after some determined effort. Willow seemed happy enough tapping away on the keys of her laptop. She'd even managed to find a wall outlet to plug the machine into. Faith eyed her and shook her head in rueful amusement. _Techno geek_, she thought. _Some things just don't change._

As she was piling the boxes of chips back in their place, the front door chimed. Faith looked up to find Tony approaching her. His face was impassive, his cloudy blue eyes as blank as ever. She straightened up and wiped her hands on a rag. "Morning, Mr. Fleischer," she said.

"Lehane." He held up something and shook it. She looked; it was the printout of the previous day's profits. "Want to explain this?"

The dark Slayer eyed it, then looked at him coolly. "I dunno, boss. Accounting isn't really my thing."

"Save the smart mouth for the cops," he said. His voice was as cold as ice. "The till was forty dollars short yesterday."

Faith's mouth fell open. "I didn't even close out!"

"You're the ex-con. Who do you think the cops will believe?" Tony gazed at her stonily. The Slayer's fists and jaw slowly clenched, but she said nothing. "Now, I think you need to give me a real good reason not to fire you and call the police, Lehane," he said. "And I don't think you want me to call them. The lockup in LA is pretty nasty. But then, maybe you like that kind of thing. What do you think?"

Faith's face was burning with anger. She had to take several deep breaths before she trusted herself enough to speak again. "What do you want?" she snarled.

He jabbed a fat finger at her. "You're working for free today," he sneered. "When you come in tomorrow, you're going to give me another two hours free. And I'd better not catch you slacking off, either, or I make that phone call. Got it?"

The dark Slayer's body was shaking with repressed rage, but she forced herself to rein it in. _Easy, Faith. Don't get yourself fired. This job sucks, but you gotta have one_. "Fine," she said through her teeth. "But I didn't take nothin'. I ain't a thief."

"Unfortunately for you, I doubt the police make distinctions between thieves and murderers when they're arresting people, Lehane." His hooded, reptilian eyes pierced her. "Get back to work." Without another word, he headed over to his office. The door slammed behind him.

Angry and humiliated, Faith turned away from where Willow was sitting. She wished the witch hadn't been there to witness it. With a clenched jaw, she started pulling the items off the next shelf in preparation for scrubbing it down. Her hands shook with passion. After a while, she heard Willow shift and clear her throat softly. "You okay, Faith?" she murmured.

Faith's jaw worked. "Five by five."

There was a pause. "That guy's a real bastard." Willow rested her chin on her hand. "It's men like that who make me glad that I'm a lesbian." Faith gave her a look before going back to her task. "Are you sure you don't want me to find a place for you at _Niveus Lacuna?"_

The brunette sighed and shook her head. "No. Thanks, Red, but no. I wanna do this myself. I ain't lookin' for charity." She dipped a sponge into her bleach water, squeezed out the excess moisture, and started scrubbing down the shelf. "I'm lookin' for someplace else. Until then..." Her eyes glittered. "The asshole's no worse'n some of the guards in the clink. I'll live."

"You sure?" Willow's expression was full of compassion.

"Yeah," Faith mumbled, looking away. "I'm fine." She cast the witch a sidelong glance. "Thanks, though," she added reluctantly. "Cool of you t' offer."

"Want me to zap some frogs into his underwear?" There was a humorous, mischievous glint in the witch's eye. Faith couldn't help chuckling. With one last, evil grin, Willow ducked her head back down and focused on her computer screen. The dark Slayer got back to work. She felt a little better.

It was a good thing that her shift that day was only four hours. Faith got into Willow's car with a distinct sense of relief once her time was up. Willow paused outside of the vehicle to dig in her pocket for her crystal again. _"Appareo."_ There was a flash of light. The witch tucked away her stone and got in. She was humming a cheerful tune as she did up her seatbelt and started the car. "Sure is nice to get out of there," she said. "I bet garbage picking will be a nice change, huh?"

"Hell yeah." Faith leaned her head back against her seat and relaxed as they pulled away from Gas Em Up. "Cleaner, for one thing." Willow laughed.

Everything seemed so much less painful with the redheaded witch there. Faith found herself thinking about that as she trudged along in a public park with a trash bag and a pointed stick. She glanced at Willow, who was gamely picking up garbage along with the other volunteers. _I usually kinda hate this, but with Red here, it's almost fun,_ she thought with surprise. _I think I really like hangin' out with her. Haven't had this much fun with someone since I use'ta hang out with B an' go dancing an' stuff_.

That made her smile. She stabbed a fluttering old napkin and stuck it into her bag. _Huh. Maybe I should ask 'er if she wants t' go clubbin' sometime. Bet it'd be hella fun. See if I can pull out that wild side I just know she's hidin'. Bet we could have one helluva sweet time_. She sidled over to where Willow was cleaning up what looked like the leftovers of a picnic. "Hey, Red."

The witch looked up. "Yeah?"

Faith jabbed a styrofoam cup and added it to her collection of trash. "You ever go out dancin'?" she asked.

"Uh..." Willow blinked. "Well, not for a while," she said, pausing in her work. "I used to. But since Kennedy died, I just..." She shrugged awkwardly and picked up a dirty paper plate. "I quit dating. And I guess there wasn't much point in dancing if I wasn't looking to do that anymore."

The dark Slayer eyed her. "Wouldja go just for fun if someone asked ya?"

A raised eyebrow. The redhead looked at her. "Are you asking?"

"Guess so." Faith scratched her ear. "I ain't been since they locked me up. Use'ta really like that kinda thing. An' I remember you always liked goin' to the Bronze back in the day, so I figured you must've liked it sometimes, too."

"All right," Willow said cheerfully. "Gay club, or not?"

Faith considered this. "Well, I go both ways, but you don't," she said. "So let's do the pink triangle thing. Maybe we can pick up some hot chicks." She waggled her eyebrows. "Whatcha think?"

The witch laughed. Her eyes crinkled up and sparkled with amusement when she did that, Faith noticed. She thought she rather liked it. "Sure. Why not? It might be fun." Willow jabbed one last paper plate and moved on, grinning. "Let's do it on Friday. We can hang out until midnight, send you out on patrol afterward."

"Cool." Faith grinned and checked her watch. There was only another twenty minutes left in this particular session of community service. She was looking forward to her training with Dawn - she was still a little on edge from dealing with Tony that morning, and a few rounds with a punching bag would probably be a big help. She certainly wanted to hit _something_. She stabbed a half-buried candy wrapper.

A cell phone went off. Willow stopped what she was doing and pulled hers out of her pocket, glancing at the call display before putting it to her ear. "Hey, Naphu. What's up?" She paused. Her expression changed as she listened, to something at once grim and eager. "Really? Where? Are you sure?" Another pause. Faith stopped in her tracks and waited. "Okay. Call Buffy and Dawn and get them out where you are. Faith and I will be there in fifteen minutes."

"Whussup?" Faith arched her brows as the witch stuffed the phone back in her pocket.

"They've found them." Willow's eyes glittered as she headed for the shed where they could drop their trash and equipment. "Justin and Naphu've been looking since they left my place last night. They've found the nest of vampires that was taking your picture."

The Slayer's face lit up. "Aw, sweet!" She paused. "But I'm s'posed to be here for another twenty minutes, Red."

"Leave that to me," Willow said calmly as they discarded their tools. "Go to the car, and I'll deal with the supervisor." Faith shrugged and headed toward the parking lot. If Willow wanted to bail her out of the last bit of trash-picking, she certainly wasn't going to complain about it.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Faith leaned against the wall of the alley, peering out at the house that Naphu and Justin had located. It was dilapidated and plainly abandoned. Boards and sheets of plywood were nailed over all the windows; a screen door hung on only one hinge, swaying gently in the light breeze. It looked deceptively calm and peaceful.

On the other side of the alley, Buffy drew a sword from the belt around her waist. She was in Slayer mode now, her movements slow and fluid, her intense green eyes fixed on the target house. Faith watched her appreciatively. She'd always loved it when Buffy became the hunter. There was something primal and powerful about it, and it had always sent a jolt of excitement through her guts. _My God, the woman's gorgeous_, she thought wistfully. Reluctantly, Faith pried her eyes from the blond vision and looked back at the place.

The earpiece tucked into her left ear suddenly crackled to life. "Chosen One, Chosen Two, do you read me?" came Willow's businesslike voice.

"Yeah, Red," Faith murmured.

"We're here." Buffy tucked a hand up against her own earpiece. "We're in position. Everything set?"

"Waiting on Magus and The Stake," the witch responded. "Stand by. Mantra already being chanted by Steel - shields are good to go."

Faith puffed out her cheeks in a sigh. "Good thing, too," she said wryly. "Rather not get smacked upside the head with any more whammies like that last one, Red." She reached down and drew one of her stakes out of its thigh sheath. She was carrying two now, one on each leg, in case she lost one in the heat of battle. "Tell Magus an' The Stake t' get their asses in gear, man. What, did they stop for a damn burger or somethin'?"

"Behave." There was both amusement and reproach in Willow's tone.

The dark Slayer chucked wickedly. "Yes, ma'am," she drawled. She glanced up at the sun. It felt odd to be hunting vampires in the daylight, but - as Buffy had calmly pointed out - sunlight gave them a big advantage over their quarry. It was a technique the Slayers had adopted soon after Faith had been incarcerated, evidently. She smirked a little, remembering the time that she had first persuaded Buffy to help her eradicate some vampires in the daylight. She'd gone to Sunnydale High and pulled Buffy out of a class to do it. That had been back when she and Buffy had been pretty tight...back when it had seemed like they would be friends, and sisters-in-arms, and maybe - in a secretly-held hope, hidden deep in Faith's mind - maybe even more than that.

The dark Slayer sighed and shifted impatiently. Buffy's eyes were still fixed alertly on their target, her blade held at the ready. Faith eyed it with faint amusement. Buffy, like Faith, relied on the traditional weapons. Dawn, Naphu and Justin carried stake guns and other modern weaponry, but Faith just felt more comfortable with the stakes and swords she'd first learned to slay with.

Her earpiece crackled again. "Magus and The Stake are in position," Willow said. "Stand by for the signal." There was a long, tense silence. The two Slayers waited, poised, every muscle in their bodies vibrating. "Move in."

Both women shot from their position in the alley, making a beeline for the ramshackle front door. Faith knew that Dawn and Justin were attacking the back. She reached the door a split second before Buffy did. Without breaking stride, Faith planted one of her heavy motorcycle boots hard against the doorknob - the door burst inward with a splintering crash. She heard cries as sunlight flooded in around her and hissed against the undead flesh of the vampires inside. "Hey, boys," she chortled. "Wanna tango?"

The next few minutes were gloriously chaotic. The vampires had at least been somewhat prepared, as they immediately retreated to the interior of the house where the sunlight couldn't hit them. Their armor was also an issue, being impervious to Faith's stakes. She sheathed them after a minute or two and caught up a discarded sword, and had much better luck with it.

Blasts of purple energy flew at her once or twice, but they dissipated before they could touch her body, sapped by the protection spells that Willow, Dawn and Naphu had carefully prepared. Between the four fighters and the element of surprise, the fight soon turned into a rout. Minutes later, Faith threw a fringe of damp, spiky hair back from her face and straightened up to find the room empty of vampires. Dawn was down in a corner, slowly lowering her stake gun. Faith could hear Buffy's calm voice reporting their success into her headset in the next room.

Stepping forward, Faith offered Dawn her hand. "Hey. Good fight, huh?"

Dawn gripped the proffered arm and got to her feet. "Yeah, it wasn't bad," she said. "I got three. You?"

"Five an' a half," Faith said smugly. "Knocked one down, B staked 'im."

"I bet you Buffy won't give you half of that kill," Dawn said, laughing. Then she motioned. "Come on. Let's take a look around, see if we can find out what these guys were up to." Faith followed her into the next room.

Buffy was down on one knee on the floor, her fingertips brushing over an odd symbol that had been burned into the floorboards. It was circular and roughly five feet in diameter. "Magic," she said succinctly. "Ritual magic, I think." Her eyes flicked up to find her younger sister's. "Am I right?"

Dawn moved over to examine it. Her eyes swept over the various, overturned candles and bowls scattered around the room. "Yeah," she said, nodding. She picked up a bowl and sniffed its contents gingerly. "Hm...bloodroot, dragon's wort and vervain." Setting it down, Dawn moved to look at other odd symbols that had been inscribed in the floor at the compass points of the larger circular symbol. "This is a binding rune," she murmured, touching one with her toe. "And that one's a rune for victory...oh." She stopped and made a face at a stone block with various objects on it. "He-e-ere we go."

Poking her head over Dawn's shoulder, Faith peered at the items. "Holy shit, what's in that cauldron? It fuckin' reeks!"

The youngest Summers grimaced as she peeked over the edge of the item in question. There were nine smoldering wicks burning in the oily, waxy sludge. "Looks like a Santeria curse," she said. "Mm...yep, there's teeth in there, I think. And a bat head. And a crab...oh, damn." Dawn picked up two square pieces of paper. "Here's you and Buffy. Guess that's who was supposed to be getting cursed." She looked around. "I think we interrupted their spell, though," she added, kicking lightly at an overturned, black candle.

"Oh my God, that's disgusting." Buffy looked as if she were going to be sick. She shuddered and turned away. "Come on, let's get out of here," she said. "We broke up whatever they were trying to do. Mission accomplished." She reached down to grab a breastplate that lay discarded on the floor as she went. "Let's get out in the fresh air and go back to the rendezvous point. We can talk there." Justin broke off his silent examination of a bowl of nondescript, greasy sludge to follow her. Faith and Dawn were right behind them.

The four combatants walked calmly down the street. Even though their weapons were sheathed, they got a few odd looks from passers-by. Fortunately it wasn't one of the more populated suburbs of Los Angeles, and they didn't pass by any police vehicles. Nonetheless, they climbed into the back of the nondescript gray Council van with some relief.

Willow shut off the electronic communications and swivelled her chair to look at them as the van doors closed. The interior of it had benches along the sides, and one wall was nearly covered with electronic panels and computer monitors. "Good work, team," the witch said cheerfully. "So the protection spells held up okay? Nobody got blasted with a fireball or anything?"

"Nope. We are blast-free," Buffy said as she sat down on a padded bench. She tossed the breastplate at Willow's feet. Faith wordlessly put the Roman sword down beside it. "We got these off them," she said. "No survivors. They were doing some pretty nasty hocus pocus in there, but Dawn thinks we broke up their party before they could do any real damage, so it's okay."

The witch eyed Dawn, who nodded. "It was a Santeria curse," she told Willow. "The one with the cauldron and the wicks. You know."

Willow nodded with clinical interest. "Oh, yeah. The one with the bird and bat heads?"

"That's the one. I didn't sense any dark energy, though, so we got there in time. I don't think we'll have to do any counter-curses or anything." Dawn smiled. "This was a pretty good operation, huh? Total victory, no losses."

The redhead grinned back, her gaze taking in all four of her fighters. "Oh yeah," she agreed. "Good work, all of you." She leaned back and thumped the wall between them and the driver's seat. "Let's go, Naphu. We'll debrief at _Niveus Lacuna_."

"Very well," came Naphu's calm voice over the intercom. "I take it no one was killed?"

"None of ours, no. A job well done." Willow sat up straight as the vehicle's engine roared to life, and the van made its way out of the Los Angeles suburbs.


	10. Chapter 10

Faith scowled down at her own arm. It was resting on the polished surface of the bar, her hand palm-down, displaying the stamp on the back of her hand. She'd been given the stamp at the door of this club. Her dark eyes traced the inked letters. _Bus Stop. Some kinda stupid name,_ she groused internally.

A glass clinked down on the bar in front of her. Faith lifted her eyes to find Willow's soft green ones smiling at her. "Still all pouty?" the witch asked, grinning. "Come on, Faith, just relax. I don't mind. Really."

"I mind." The Slayer took the glass and sipped, still sulking. The taste of whiskey and cherry liqueur spread over her tongue. "I don't ask chicks out an' then make 'em pay."

Willow laughed and sat down beside her with her own drink. It looked like a rum and Coke. "Faith, it's okay. It's not like it was your fault your boss wouldn't give you the hours and stuff. I really don't mind." She arched a russet brow. "Besides, this isn't exactly a date, is it? I mean, you said we were here to, and I quote, pick up chicks."

Brown eyes peered at her morosely. "Huh. Guess I did say that." Faith took another mouthful of her drink. She looked at the witch again after a moment. Willow was watching her curiously. Faith felt her ears grow unaccountably warm. _God, does she...does she want that? Or does she wish this was a date? How the hell did I get into this?_ "We're just hangin' out," she mumbled. "It...isn't a date. But, um...we could dance an' stuff. With each other, I mean. If you want."

The redhead's eyes twinkled. "I can see why you always had dates. You're such a romantic." Faith growled at her, and Willow laughed again. "Here, guard my drink for a bit. I'm going to see if I can get a dance, okay?"

Faith's eyes followed the witch as Willow headed over to the dance floor. She was so different from the shy, awkward teen that Faith remembered. There was still something of that shyness there, but Willow was much more self-confident now. The Slayer watched as Willow stood on the sidelines for a minute or so. Soon a muscular woman dressed in denim approached her. The two of them talked for a minute before hitting the dance floor together.

_Damn_. Faith was mildly impressed. She could remember Willow dancing at the Bronze, back in Sunnydale, and knew the little witch had always had far more enthusiasm than skill. Now she moved with confidence. She wasn't the best on the floor, but she held her own and...Faith's eyes moved lower, and she smirked with appreciation. _Yeah, she's got a fine ass. She's wicked hot_. The Slayer drummed her fingers on the bar and swallowed the last of her drink. She deliberated for a minute or two. Then she smirked to herself and made her decision.

The Bus Stop was crowded, and Faith had to maneuver around many twisting, gyrating bodies to get to her destination. She reached it just as the song wound down, and a new bass line began to pound out of the huge speakers. Faith reached out and tapped a muscular woman on the shoulder. "May I cut in?" she asked blithely.

"Fuck off," the woman growled, turning back to Willow. The redheaded witch noticed Faith just then, and her eyebrows arched.

The Slayer considered the situation for a moment. Then she reached out, caught the woman by the wrist, and squeezed - not as hard as she could, but hard enough to let her victim feel a measure of her strength. Willow's dance partner grimaced and turned outraged eyes on Faith. The dark Slayer let her lips curve into a dangerous, sexy smile. "C'mon, babe," she drawled. "You had a whole song t' have fun. Isn't it time you gave someone else a go?"

The woman's face turned red. She turned on Faith with a snarl. "Hey, I said fuck off, shrimp," she said, shouting to be heard above the music. "Find yourself a whore or something."

Anger bathed Faith's body in a hot flood of adrenaline. She had to grind her teeth and hold herself still for a second. _She's human, Lehane. She's human. Don't do anything too stupid._ Her blazing eyes met the woman's. _Even if she did pretty much just call Red a whore_. Faith smiled again. There was no laziness or sexiness in the expression anymore. It was as deadly and sharp as the knife the Slayer had sheathed in her right boot. "Take a walk, bitch," she said coldly, and tightened her grip until her victim's face was white with pain. Then she released it.

There was about a fifty-fifty chance that her rival would try to punch her out. Faith could see it struggling with fear in the woman's eyes. The Slayer kept her gaze even and her smile icy. Finally, firing off one last profane insult, the taller woman retreated into the pressing crowd.

Faith turned to Willow, who was watching her with a singular expression on her face. The witch folded her arms across her chest and cocked her head. "Who's watching my drink, huh?"

"No one." Faith moved forward with a confidence she didn't totally feel, grasped Willow's arm lightly, and began to move to the pounding music. "I'm hopin' someone slips you a Roofie, so I can carry you home an' have my way with ya, Red."

"Vixen. What makes you think I'd dance with someone who just threatened to date rape me, huh?" Willow's hips began to move to the beat. There was just the faintest hint of wickedness in the tiny smile she was wearing. "I don't know what kind of a girl you think I am, Faith Lehane."

"A wicked hot one." Faith gave her a charming smile.

"Uh huh. You think flattery will get you out of anything, don't you?" The redhead tugged her arm from Faith's grasp and moved a little closer.

Faith grinned. "Yep." The witch didn't seem to be objecting, so she reached out, laid her hands lightly on Willow's hips, and tugged their bodies together. The redhead lifted her brows as she rested her own hands on Faith's shoulders. Faith grinned wider. "Aw, c'mon, Red. Don't pretend like you don't like it. I'm smokin' hot. No red-blooded lesbian can resist my bitchin' Slayer charms."

"You cocky little street hood!" Willow's mouth fell open.

"I only speak the truth." Faith's eyes sparkled with mischief. She could see the curiosity mixed with the outrage in the witch's face. She ground her hips deliberately against her dance partner's. "Look me in the eye an' tell me you don't like it when I do this, Red. C'mon, lie to me."

The little witch pouted. "I didn't say that."

"Nope. You didn't. An' you can't." The Slayer smirked triumphantly. She was starting to feel reckless as the music and the alcohol and the beautiful woman she was dancing with suffused her psyche. "So, how d'you think B would react if she saw this?"

The redhead let her hands slide down to rest on Faith's elbows. Their torsos moved just a little closer together as she did. "What, us dancing together?" Willow pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Well, she'd probably yell at you, and give me a stern talking-to about what kind of a person you are, and what you went to prison for."

Faith nodded, her eyes finding Willow's once again. "But here you are anyway," she said. She let her right hand slide just a touch higher on the witch's hip, so that her thumb could touch the strip of bare skin showing above the waistband of Willow's suede skirt. "You feelin' rebellious?"

Willow shook her head at her. "Buffy's my best friend, Faith. I love her, and I listen to her, but she's not my mom. She doesn't get to dictate my...ah...dance partners." Faith grinned again and waggled her eyebrows. "However," the witch added severely, "you don't get to dictate everything either, Miss I'm-Hotter-Than-A-Goat-In-A-Pepper-Patch."

The dark Slayer lost her rhythm as she burst into helpless laughter. "Miss hotter than a _what?"_ Willow pouted, and Faith laughed even harder. "Oh my God, Red!" she managed at last, still giggling. "That's the funniest thing I've ever heard."

"Hmph." Willow poked her snub nose into the air and stepped back, folding her arms across her chest. "Well, now that you've chased away my potential pick-up and laughed at me, I think you're going to have to buy me a new drink before I'll dance with you again," she said. "So there."

"Aw, baby, why you gotta be like that?" Faith's grin didn't falter, though. "A'right, then. I fucked up your last drink, so I owe ya one, anyway. Rum an' Coke, right?" The redhead nodded, still looking virtuously demanding. "Heh. C'mon then, Red. I'll walk ya back to the bar."

It really was fun to hang out with Willow, Faith thought. She loved having someone that she could flirt with and tease and be teased by and laugh with, all without thought of expectations. With a date, you always knew they expected dividends sooner or later in the form of bed sports. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but Faith found herself enjoying the lack of pressure. She bought the requested drink and delivered it to Willow, who was once again perched on a bar stool. "Here you are, Red."

"Thanks." Willow grinned at her. It was a genuine smile, one of the ones that made her emerald eyes sparkle and her nose crinkle up. It was adorable, and Faith immediately decided that she was going to do everything she could this evening to ensure that she saw it as much as possible.

They danced again, once Willow had finished with her beverage. This time the little witch was more active, swivelling her hips against Faith's with a gleam of dark mischief in her eyes. Faith enjoyed it thoroughly. Then the pulsing beat of the music faded, and the slower strains of a love song began to play. The two parted and looked at each other in sudden uncertainty. Willow bit her lip. "I, um...I don't know if I can..."

"No biggie," Faith said quickly. "I was gettin' ready to sit, anyway."

The little witch blushed and bit her lip unhappily. "I'm sorry," she said. "I...I just..."

Even in the confusion of the club's flashing lights, Faith could see that Willow's eyes were growing moist. The Slayer checked her watch - it was after eleven. She gently grasped Willow's elbow. "C'mon, man. Let's make like a check an' bounce." The witch didn't resist as Faith gently shepherded her through the milling crowd and out into the darkened street.

It was quieter outside, despite the relatively large number of people on the sidewalk. Faith guided Willow into a nearby diner and took her to one of the booths in the back. They sat down across from each other. Willow's eyes were on the tabletop, and there was still a faint flush across the bridge of her freckled nose. The Slayer leaned back, crossed her heavy boots at the ankles, and folded her arms across her chest. There was silence for a few minutes. Then Faith coughed. "Y'wanna talk about it?" she asked awkwardly.

Willow chewed on her bottom lip. "I...haven't slow danced with anyone...for a long time," she said softly. "I just couldn't do it. I'm sorry." Her green eyes lifted to Faith's, full of unhappiness. "I didn't mean to get all gooey and weepy on you, Faith. I just..."

"Hey. Chill." The dark Slayer reached out to give a cursory pat to one of the witch's dainty hands. "Don't worry about it, a'right? We had a good time. Besides, we ain't on a date. We just hangin' out. There ain't any pressure." Willow's lips curved into a tentative smile that didn't reach her sorrowful eyes. "You, uh...haven't done the slow dance thing since Kennedy, huh?"

The little witch flushed scarlet again. She twiddled her fingers nervously and gazed down at them. "Um...I didn't even really do it with Ken," she whispered. "Well, a few times, of course, over the years. I mean, I did care about her. A lot. But...it wasn't ever the same." Silence. Willow swallowed. "It's stupid to still be like this after all this time, isn't it?" she asked softly. "I mean...she's been dead for more than fifteen years."

Faith leaned forward to rest her elbows on the table. "You mean Tara." Willow nodded miserably, her eyes still on her own fingers. "Hey," Faith said gently. "It ain't stupid, Red. Girl was special to you. Meant a lot to you, right? It ain't stupid." She hesitated, then again covered Willow's small hand with one of her own. The little morsel felt soft and warm against her palm. "You're one of those sensitive types," the Slayer said. "You feel stuff pretty deep. Things like that mean stuff t' you, an' that's okay. I'm your friend, an' you ain't gonna hurt my feelings by bein' honest with me, a'right?" Then she stopped, suddenly uncertain. "Uh...it's okay to say I'm your friend, right? I never asked if..."

"It's okay." Willow's smile was still tentative, but it reached her eyes now. "You are, Faith."

The dark Slayer hesitated. "I don't really do the sensitive chat thing," she said. "Are you, uh...you feelin' better, Red?"

"Yeah. Thanks." Willow turned her hand beneath Faith's and gently squeezed her fingers.

"Good." Faith felt a little awkward, although she wasn't completely sure why. She wanted to tug her hand away from Willow. Instead, she kept it still. "Um, listen, I should probably go out on patrol," she said. "Do you, um...do you wanna come with?"

Green eyes twinkled just a little as they met hers. "I haven't been on a patrol in a pretty long time, Faith," Willow said. "Kennedy never let me come because she said she didn't want to put me in danger. Are you sure I wouldn't just be in your way out there? I mean, I don't exactly have the super strength thing going on."

"You're kiddin' me, right?" Faith shot her an incredulous look. "You got enough witchy-poo mojo to take out a damn planet, an' she was worried you'd get iced by some undead guy with pointy teeth?"

Willow grinned, this time a full-on smile that held something like smugness. "Well, yeah, there's that," she said. "But it can happen, you know. I'm not very physically strong. If a vampire got near enough to actually grab me and stuff, I'd probably be in trouble." She shrugged her skinny shoulders.

Faith rose to her feet. "Well, what the hell d'you think I'm around for?" she huffed. "If I let any damn vamp get that close to ya, I should get my ass kicked." She reached into her jacket to make sure her stake was there. She'd strapped it to her side instead of her leg so she could get into the club without having it confiscated. Its twin, she'd left at home. She arched a brow at Willow. "So, you comin'?"

"Okay." Willow was smiling at the prospect. She followed Faith from the diner and out onto the sidewalk. The two of them headed down the street to where Willow had parked her car. "We need to get you a vehicle of some kind," the witch said as they fastened their seatbelts. "You haven't had any luck finding a new job yet, huh?"

"Nope. Not yet." Faith sighed a little. "Nothin' that wouldn't get me arrested, anyway."

"No arresting! Ixnay on the rrest...uh..." Willow stopped and puzzled it out in her head for a moment or two before giving up. "Yeah. No getting arrested," she said, her momentary uncertainty gone. "It'd do bad things for your probation and stuff. Plus we're trying to make nice with the Council, right? And getting arrested - not so good for that."

Faith leaned back in her seat to watch the buildings pass by her window. "You think I really can make good with 'em?" she asked wistfully. "I'm startin' to think they just like that I'll patrol for 'em for free."

"If it was a budget thing, I'd personally go in there and kick butts," Willow said, making what was meant to be a threatening scowl. Faith hid a smile behind her hand. "No, it's about risks and damage control and stuff like that. Slayers have had kind of a rough time in the public perception arena." She paused, cocking a brow at Faith. "Did you hear about all that?"

The dark Slayer nodded. "Yeah. You mean that whole thing where everyone thought we were some terrorist group or somethin'."

"Yes, that's the one." Willow paused to give her full attention to turning a corner. "Anyway, so the Council's pretty leery of any Slayers who could potentially go crazy and raid a military cache for machine guns or whatever. And I guess, given what they know about you, they think you look kind of bad on paper." The witch shot her an apologetic look. "They're letting you do the unofficial slaying thing because I promised I'd keep you out of trouble."

It hurt, even though Faith understood it. She went back to looking out the window. "Yeah. Guess I don't really blame 'em."

There was a pause. "You're doing really good," Willow said softly. "I mean, even Buffy said you did a good job when we raided those vampires with the smelly ritual thingie this week. Dawn's all proud of you, and Justin thinks you're a good fighter. Just keep going, Faith. When the Council sees just how talented a Slayer you are, they'll come around. Promise."

Faith looked at her with a hint of a smile playing about the corners of her mouth. "Talented?" she said.

"Well, sure. I mean, you're an awesome fighter," Willow said sincerely. "And look how far you've come in just a couple of weeks. I bet you'll be back in top form in less than a month. Dawn's really happy with how you're doing, you know."

"Is she?" Faith was pleased. "That's...that's pretty cool, Red. That I'm doin' all right, I mean. I figured I..." She stopped and looked down at her own hands as the momentary pleasure faded, drowned in the all too familiar tide of guilt. "I can't undo what I did," she said quietly. "But I'm hopin' I can...I dunno. I was gonna say make up for it, but..."

Willow pulled over and parked the car near the industrial docks. They sat there in silence for a few long moments. When Faith finally looked up and met Willow's eyes, they were full of bleak understanding. The witch reached out to clasp Faith's hand. "I know," she said. "I get it, Faith. I still feel it sometimes myself." Willow sighed a little. "This is the hardest part right now," she said gently. "In a way, it's got to be harder for you than it was for me. I had Xander and Buffy...people who loved me. You've kind of had to do all this by yourself."

The dark Slayer swallowed against the lump that was rising in her throat and looked away. "No biggie. I'm five by five."

"No. It is a...uh...'biggie.'" Willow stuck the car keys in her pocket and turned in her seat to look at Faith more directly. "Look, I understand. I mean, I killed two people, you killed three and some demon guy, but I know how it feels. The blood on your hands. The memories that never go away. The nightmares. The...the guilt and...feeling like you can never suffer enough to make it all okay."

"I can't," Faith said bluntly. "No one can bring 'em back."

Willow reached out to brush a stray spike of dark hair back from Faith's face. "No, they can't," she said quietly. "And we can't take back what we've done, Faith. Neither of us can. But we can make it so they didn't die in vain." The Slayer frowned at her in confusion. Willow lowered her head. "When I killed Warren," she explained softly, "I took away any chance he ever had to be a better human being. I mean, he was a murderer twice over, and a thief, and...well, a lot of stuff. But I took away his choices. I took everything away." Silence. Willow's throat worked. "I could let myself be destroyed by that," she went on. Her voice, though quiet, seemed to fill the car. "I wanted to kill myself. I wanted to self-destruct, and punish myself, and...be punished. And I could have done that, Faith."

The dark Slayer was listening with her jaw and her fists clenched. Her eyes were burning, and her chest felt strangely tight. She didn't trust herself to look at the witch.

"I could have done that." Willow's tone was remote. "But Giles said something to me that's stuck with me ever since, Faith. He told me I have a lot of power. If I let myself be destroyed, too, then that would be just another sad, evil thing - just another death, another loss, another thing for good people to grieve over, no matter how justified I might have thought it was. But if I faced what I'd done and learned from it...if I turned my power to doing good things and helping people and fighting against the evil in the world...then I'd be adding to the balance of good things. Helping good people."

"You _are_ a good person, Willow." Faith's voice was hoarse.

"Maybe. I don't know. But I'm also a murderer. That's the truth, and that's what makes it hard." The witch searched Faith's face. "It takes a lot of courage and strength to walk this road, especially alone," she said. "It's easier to let it go and just self-destruct." She clasped Faith's hand again. "But you're not alone, Faith," she said. "Like you said before, I'm your friend. I'm with you. I'll help you all I can. Okay?"

Faith swallowed hard, struggling to maintain her composure. "Okay." It was all she could trust herself to say without breaking down.

Willow patted Faith's arm and sat back. "All right," she said, her tone lightening considerably. "So, are we going to stake some vampires, or what?"

"Yeah." Faith dug her stake out of her jacket and gripped it, hard. The feel of the rubber grip steadied her, and she let it, feeling her composure returning with relief. "Yeah," she said again, lifting her head to smile at the witch. "Let's go dust 'em up. Hey, maybe we'll get lucky an' get to fight a demon, too."

"I'll get a few spells ready." Willow smiled back, and the two of them got out of the car to begin Faith's patrol.


	11. Chapter 11

The streets were quiet, empty of all signs of life. A gentle night breeze blew over the steel and concrete. On the left, orderly stacks of shipping containers and enormous warehouses lined the road. On the right, massive cranes crouched over the docks, silent sentinels between land and sea.

Silent, that is, until a dark form flew out from between two shipping and crashed with a curse against one.

Faith stalked out after the figure a moment or two later, a stake clenched in her fist. Her lips were curved into a feral smile - it was really more of a snarl than anything. "C'mon, you undead creep. Gimme somethin' t' work with, here. I was expectin' at least a little bit of a workout, you know?"

"Bitch!" The vampire roared at her and lunged, his razor-sharp teeth bared.

The Slayer gave a burst of bitter laughter and slid her body sideways, dodging the attack effortlessly. She moved like quicksilver - dropped low to kick his legs out from under him, sending him smashing head-first against another metal shipping container. Faith leaped on his back, caught him by the hair, and beat his face against the cold steel a few more times. Then he bucked her off. She went sprawling on her back on the concrete.

The two of them sprang up and began to circle each other, snarling like junkyard dogs. Faith flexed her hands, feeling the pull of her leather jacket across her back and arms. Her dark eyes were fixed on her quarry. When he leaped at her again, she ducked away and caught his arm. Pivoting at the waist, she threw him over her hip. He fell hard on his back. A second later, she was straddling him and punching him hard in the face, over and over again, her lips pulled back in a sneer. "Bastard," she growled as she beat him. "Bastard!" For several minutes it continued like this, with the enraged Slayer pounding on her prey, and the vampire writhing beneath her. Finally, with a roar of frustration, Faith brought her stake down hard on his chest. The body beneath her vanished in an explosion of dust, and she was sitting alone on the pavement, panting.

For a few long seconds, Faith didn't move. Then she let her arms rest in her lap and her head droop forward. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "Bastard," she muttered again, her voice much softer this time.

It had been a horrible week. Tony had been riding her every day at work, badgering her with threats of firing her or getting her arrested. She'd bitten her tongue and worked hard anyway, but there was no satisfaction in it. To top that off, he'd given her paycheck to her that day, and she was almost sure that he'd stiffed her out of fifty dollars. Her job search had been fruitless despite getting two more interviews. Even slaying had failed her once this week. She'd been jumped by a group of about ten vampires, and had wound up pinned down in a corner of a warehouse. She'd had to call Willow for backup on her Council-issued cell phone. Buffy had arrived five minutes later. The blond Slayer had staked the vampires with workmanlike skill, and then delivered a sternly worded lecture to Faith about responsibility and danger and not leaping before she looked, which had prompted a sullen response from the embarrassed recipient of said lecture. They had nearly come to blows.

_Just when it looked like I was makin' some headway, too_. Faith slowly sheathed her stake on her thigh and sighed. Not even beating up on hapless vampires could get rid of her futile rage tonight. She rubbed her eyes tiredly. Then she glanced up at the moon. _Fuck this. I'm done for tonight. What I need is somethin' to take the damn edge off_. The dark Slayer rose to her feet and stalked back to the street. She turned her steps toward a certain street that she knew of.

Sandwiched in between some office buildings and storage facilities was a seedy little bar called The Stumble Inn. Faith didn't know where the "Inn" part of the name came in, since the place was purely for drinks and crappy bar food, with no rooms available. It was small and run-down, but the drinks were decent, and Faith could usually count on being left alone when she went there. She shouldered her way in and chose a small booth in a corner. A bar employee took her order, and soon came by with Faith's first drink.

Faith hadn't been really drunk in a very long time, but she was hoping to remedy that soon. After an hour or so, she slouched over her table and eyed the array of empty glasses in front of her with a disgusted eye. Slayer bodies being what they were, it always took a huge amount of alcohol for her to get a buzz on at all, and she was starting to wonder just how much of a tab she was going to have to run up to achieve her goal. A barmaid came by to collect the glasses. "Jack Daniels on the rocks," Faith growled, slapping another fiver down on the table. The girl took the money and vanished without a word. The Slayer rested her head on her hand as she waited for her drink. _And it ain't at all ironic that I'm spendin' way too much money so's I can get drunk and forget that I can't make enough money. _She rubbed her face with a sigh.

"Lehane? That you?" Faith's head came up quickly, her brown eyes zeroing in on the voice. A brunette woman was crossing the floor toward her. A moment's confusion, and then a flash of amazed recognition.

_She remembered very clearly the first time she'd noticed that face. It had been in prison, two months after Faith had stabbed Carmen to death for her attack on Dora. Faith had kept to herself mostly, sullen and glowering. None of the other inmates had bothered her. They feared her strength and her viciously skilled fists._

_Faith had been sitting by herself at the end of a table in the cafeteria, mechanically shovelling rehydrated mashed potatoes and stringy, leathery roast beef into her mouth. Then her self-imposed isolation had been shattered. A brunette woman with a sharp chin and piercing eyes had sat down across the table from her. Faith had looked up with a threatening glower._

_The woman had regarded her calmly, but with a hint of wariness. "Hey. Roxie Kerrigan. Everyone calls me Ziggy."_

_The Slayer's glare hadn't wavered. "Everyone's gonna be callin' you Vegetable if you don't fuck the hell off," she'd growled. "Or maybe Roadkill."_

_The woman had cocked her head, regarding Faith as if she were a particularly vicious caged animal. "You're trouble, Lehane," she'd said. "You're dangerous. You're the real deal - everyone knows it."_

_Faith had put down her plastic fork. "In that case, you've gotta be dumber than paint," she said bluntly. "I said get lost. Now beat it, before I tie your little stick arms in a fuckin' square knot, Squiggly."_

_"That's Ziggy." The convict had taken a bite of her lunch with quiet deliberation. "I want to ask you a favor, Lehane."_

_Incredulously, Faith had stared at her. "What, you tryin' to cut a deal?" she'd asked. "Gonna trade me some smokes for splintin' your legs after I break 'em or somethin'?"_

_"Nope." Roxie had shaken her head. Her oddly intense eyes had met Faith's once again. "I want in with you, Lehane. I've heard you're damn tough. Only an idiot would mess with you. Anyone in your corner wouldn't have anything to worry about." She'd paused. "I want in."_

_Faith had scowled. "There ain't anythin' to get into," she'd snarled. "I ain't runnin' a goddamn gang here. All I want is for everyone t' leave me the hell alone. Last thing I need is you comin' over here wantin' to be my bitch."_

_"Is that what you want?" Roxie had asked seriously. "Because I'll do it if you do." Faith had stared at her again, startled. "I'm not kidding, Lehane," she'd said. "I'll do whatever you want for it. I'll get you whatever you ask for, or do whatever you tell me. Just say the word. All I want is your protection." The dark Slayer had glared again. "Wouldn't even cost you," Ziggy had pointed out. "No one wants to mess with you. If word got out someone was under your wing, nobody'd be stupid enough to test that. Everyone knows what you are."_

No, they don't. _The thought had been stark and cold. Faith had felt a faint twinge of curiosity in spite of herself. "So why the sudden little fit of friendly shit?" she'd asked coolly. "What's your game, Zig? Somebody out to kick your ass?"_

_"Yes." The brunette convict had nodded with a complete lack of shame. She'd turned slightly in her chair. "See the table closest to the door?" Faith had glanced in that direction. "The two big ones at this end, the ones with all the tattoos - they're from what you might call a hostile family. I sold stuff on the outside, stuff they'd rather have been selling."_

_"Uh huh. So you're a dealer, and they're dealers, and you're from different gangs, and they wanna kick your ass now that you're here." Faith had arched a brow at her._

_"More or less." Roxie had nodded and taken another bite of her lunch. "So that's it. Will you help me out, Lehane? Like I said, you can name your price for it."_

_One part of Faith had wanted to make good on her threats of maiming this new annoyance, but she'd been reluctantly impressed by the other woman's forthrightness, and by her courage in even coming to her. She'd considered for a few minutes in silence. Roxie had waited patiently. "Tell ya what," Faith had said finally, regarding her through narrowed eyes. "I'll give you what you want for now. But you are gonna be my bitch, then. You come when I call, you do what I say, an' you stay the hell away from me unless I tell ya different. Got me?"_

_"Deal," Roxie had said promptly. "Do you want me to go away now?" Faith had given her a death glare. With a faint smile, the brunette convict had taken the hint and left._

_Despite her initial reluctance, Faith had come to appreciate Roxie/Ziggy over the years. The woman was bold as brass, but also had a shrewd and calculating mind - no one else in that prison could analyze and manipulate situations like she could. Faith had been sorry when Roxie had been paroled. She'd missed her for the two years she'd spent in jail without her._

Shaking off the memories, Faith rose to her feet to meet the approaching figure. "Ziggy?" The Slayer's lips curved upward as she reached out to slap hands with the woman. "My God…what the hell are you doin' here? I ain't seen you since they let you outta the slammer!"

"God, I haven't been called that in ages." The brunette grinned infectiously, tossing her shaggy bangs out of her eyes. Her thick hair was tied back at the nape of her neck with an elastic. Eyes of a peculiar, vibrant blue twinkled at the Slayer. "I'm almost used to answering to my real name now. Anyway – Lehane! God, it feels like a long time. They finally turned you loose?"

"Yeah. 'Bout six weeks ago." Faith slowly sat back down. "Siddown, Ziggy. Tell me what's up…wait. D'you want me to call you Roxie now?"

The blond woman laughed. "Nah. Ziggy's fine for you, tough stuff." She straddled a chair and rested her chin on her hands. "I only came to LA three months ago. I was bombing around in Texas before that…Houston, El Paso. Vegas, for a while. Following the work. You know how it is." Roxie cocked her head. "So what brought you up here, stranger?"

Faith scratched her ear. "Some folks I knew, I guess," she said. "I was hopin' to get with an old flame. That didn't work out, but I got a decent thing goin' now. Found some work. Sucky work, but gives me a couple bucks, anyway. Stayin' with a girl I know." The barmaid returned and set Faith's drink down in front of her. The Slayer curled her fingers around it, shooting the girl a grim look. "Keep 'em coming," she said.

Roxie lifted a brow. "Bad day?"

"Bad life," Faith grumbled. She paused to toss back the whiskey in a single gulp. It burned its way pleasantly down her throat. "I need cash," she sighed. "I'm workin' my ass off, but bein' a gas jockey doesn't give me enough. And the minute folks see the criminal record thing, they won't hire me. Figured I'd just take the edge off tonight."

"Mm." Roxie looked sympathetic. She rested her chin on her hand and studied Faith closely for a few moments. "You flying straight now, Lehane? Or would you still get your hands dirty to get what you want?"

The Slayer looked at her. Suddenly, Faith was remembering the terms of her parole – even talking to Roxie was probably a violation of them, considering the woman was a fellow ex-con. She hesitated. _Just how desperate am I?_ she wondered. She thought about how dependant she was on Willow at the moment, and about her hard, thankless job at Gas 'Em Up. Then she thought about the humiliating, fruitless hunt for more work. Her lips tightened just a fraction. "Depends. How dirty we talkin'?"

The blue-eyed woman shrugged one shoulder. "Felony."

"Uh huh." Faith gave her an incredulous look.

"Big money, though." Roxie waggled her eyebrows. "I'm looking for someone to come in with me on it. Tough bitch like you would be perfect, Lehane."

"Perfect for what?" The dark Slayer gazed at her impassively. "You thinkin' robbery? I know that's what you were in the clink for."

"Armed robbery and possession with the intent to distribute." Roxie smiled sweetly. "It'd be a bit more like item number two." Faith lifted her eyebrows. "See, it's like this." The brunette ex-con folded her hands on the table. "I know this guy who's got an interest in a bunch of meth labs all over California. He's big-time. He's already got Anaheim, Fresno, San Diego and San Francisco. Now he's looking to make some inroads here in LA." Roxie leaned back in her chair and smiled calmly. "He wants a distributor for this city. That's what I'm working on doing. I'm in the middle of sorting things out to make it happen, but having someone working on it with me would make it a hell of a lot easier."

Faith fiddled with her glass, torn between caution and interest. "Distributor," she said slowly. "So we'd…what, be finding people to deal the meth and stuff?"

"People, and places." Roxie nodded. "Plus we'd be in charge of finding and setting up safe houses, keeping the flow of cash open, that kind of thing." She grinned. "You're a hardass, Lehane. You scare the hell out of people. You'd be a natural." She wiggled her eyebrows again. "Could get yourself a nice, fat wallet."

The Slayer folded her hands on the table and stared down at them. Her next drink arrived; she took it and drank mechanically, noting the rich bite of the whiskey. "Y'know," she said huskily, "my folks were dealers in Boston. Small-time…cocaine." Her eyes stared sightlessly into her empty glass. "It'd almost be like I was going into the family business," she murmured. "I always liked to think I was better than that."

"Better than what?" Roxie rested her chin on her hand and watched her. "You never told me much about your folks, but they sounded like real scum. Didn't take care of you, exposed you to a hell of a lot of crap. That sucks. But you haven't got kids. And you're plenty tough enough to take care of yourself, aren't you?"

Faith's lips curved into a grim smile. "Oh hell, yeah."

"Well, then, why not take advantage of that, and make a little payola doing it?" Roxie grinned a bit. Her eyes, however, continued to study Faith closely. There was silence for a while. Finally, Roxie glanced at her watch. "Listen, I gotta run. I'm meeting some people. But you give it some thought, all right? Here." She scribbled something on the back of a napkin. "That's my cell number. Make your decision and call me before Friday, and I'll let you know what's up. Deal?"

The Slayer's hand closed over the bit of paper. "A'right." Her dark eyes lifted to Roxie's face. "Nice seein' ya, Zig."

The woman paused, her blue eyes calculating. She smiled slowly and dug in a pocket. "Here. I'll give you a little advance, since I'm sure you'll come through on this. It's a good thing, you know." She pressed something papery into Faith's hand. "Good night, Lehane. I'll talk to you soon." And she sauntered off with a smirk.

Faith looked down at her hand, and was shocked to discover five fifty-dollar bills. She stared at them for a moment. Then, slowly, she closed her fingers over the money. It felt good to hold it. _Two hundred and fifty bucks. I'd hafta work like a dog for a week to make this much. _Faith breathed deeply. _B an' Red would tell me to give back the damn money and keep beatin' my head on the brick wall. _She thought back over her recent life – the dull monotony of work, the humiliation of fruitless job interviews, her struggles with Buffy, and the meetings with her probation officer. Her fingertips rubbed against the bills. _I'll take the cash. I need it anyway, _she decided. _An' as for doin' what Ziggy wants...guess I'll think about it._ Her lips curved slightly. She pocketed the bills, got to her feet, and headed to the bar to pay her tab.


	12. Chapter 12

The lights were on in the kitchen - Faith could see them through the front windows of Willow's house. Probably means Red's still up, she thought with a sigh. She was rather glad of it, since the two of them hadn't really talked to each other much lately - their differing schedules meant that they barely saw each other sometimes, despite living in the same house. Faith slipped her hand into her pocket and fingered the folded cocktail napkin inside it. She paused on the doorstep. It's Thursday night. Well, technically, guess it's Friday already. I gotta call Ziggy now if I'm gonna get in on what she was talkin' about. Her expression darkened.

She'd been arguing with herself over this since she'd left The Stumble Inn that night. Even though she'd more or less decided that throwing in her lot with Roxie was a bad idea, she couldn't deny that it appealed to her. Having money would be great...Faith wanted to be able to give Willow more, and also be able to afford the leather and whiskey and cigarettes that she loved. Plus, I gotta admit I'm an adrenaline junkie, she thought, her lips curving slightly. An' I bet there'd be lots of ass-kickin' and stuff if I went in with Ziggy on this. She sighed wistfully. Then, squaring her shoulders, the Slayer opened the door and went inside.

Willow was sitting at the kitchen island. Her laptop was sitting in front of her, as well as a pile of leatherbound books, two of which were open. She was absorbed in whatever research she was doing, and didn't seem to have noticed Faith's presence. The Slayer paused in the doorway to look at her. Willow was wearing a pair of tan cargos, white socks, and a white cartoon t-shirt over a long-sleeved black one. Her legs were dangling down from the barstool she was sitting on. She almost looked like a teenager again, Faith thought. The dark woman felt a sudden rush of affection. She grinned and cleared her throat. "Hey."

The witch started and looked up, her green eyes round with surprise. "Oh! - Faith! Wow, you scared me."

Faith smirked. "Sorry."

"It's okay. Guess I was all wrapped up in Egyptian counter-curses." Willow smiled and turned away from her laptop. "How was patrol? I assume it must've gone okay, since I didn't get any phone calls and you don't look beat up."

"Pretty slow," Faith shrugged. "No vamps at all. Might as well have gone out drinkin'." She pushed away from the door, opened the refrigerator, and began to assemble the ingredients for a late night snack. "What're you doin' up, Red? Not that I mind talkin' to ya or anything, but you're usually asleep by now."

Willow shrugged. There was a flicker of something like anxiety in her eyes. "Oh, no real reason. I couldn't sleep. Thought I'd get up and do something useful instead of just tossing and turning. You know how it goes."

"Yeah?" Faith sensed a lie, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to push it. She eyed the woman silently for a moment. Then she shrugged and laid out the makings of a sandwich on the counter. She ducked back into the fridge for the milk. "You ever had a nightcap, Red?"

"Not really." Willow rested her elbow on the island and looked at her. "I do drink sometimes, but I mostly keep the booze around for when people come over."

"You're in for a treat, then." The Slayer grinned a bit as she pulled out a bottle of rum. "You drink one of these, you'll be out like a light, guaranteed." Willow watched curiously as Faith warmed the milk, poured it into two glasses, and added rum, sugar and cinnamon. "Can make 'em with chocolate, too," Faith informed her, setting a drink in front of her, "or Kahlua."

The witch smiled. "Thanks." She sniffed the drink, then tasted it. Then she smiled at Faith. "It's pretty good."

"Toldja so." Faith was busily putting together a double-decker ham, cheese and salami sandwich. She wolfed it down afterward, chasing it with sips of her own drink. She decided she was still hungry and began fixing a second sandwich. As she completed the task, Faith became aware of Willow's amused regard. "What?"

"Where do you put it all?" The witch shook her head with a rueful smile. "Buffy's the same way. Not a pound of spare flesh on her anywhere, but she can polish off more food in one sitting than most football players."

"It's a Slayer thing," Faith shrugged. "Betcha Kennedy ate a lot, too." She began to munch on her second sandwich. "Gotta fuel all the demon ass-kicking, right?"

"I guess." Willow laughed softly and drank the last of her nightcap. She got up to put the glass in the sink. "I think that might have done the trick," she said. "I'm getting pretty sleepy." The witch yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Thanks, Faith," she murmured, giving the dark Slayer a brief hug. "I'm going to bed. Kill the lights when you go, okay?"

"Sure thing, Red." Faith grinned at her. It only took a minute or two after that for her to finish her snack. Faith cleaned up after. Then, with a leisurely stretch, the Slayer went into the living room to turn out the light. She paused there, noticing a pile of papers on the coffee table. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she went to look at them. They seemed to be bills and bank statements. Faith stood there for a moment, sucking on her front teeth. This ain't really my damn business. Then, with a grimace, she bent to take a look at them.

A few minutes later, Faith was grimly putting the papers back the way she'd found them. She was no accountant, but she could see that Willow was struggling to make ends meet, particularly since Faith had moved in. Her grocery bills alone had nearly tripled under the onslaught of Faith's voracious appetite. The hundred and fifty dollars a week that the Slayer was contributing didn't cover half of what was needed.

Leaning back, Faith gazed up at the ceiling. She considered the stucco for a while in silence. Then, calmly, she dug her cell phone out, dialled a number, and waited. It buzzed a couple of times. "Hey," came a voice after the third ring. "It's Roxie. Talk to me."

"Hey, Ziggy." Faith closed her eyes. "That offer still open?"

"Lehane!" Roxie sounded delighted. "Of course, man. I knew I'd be hearing from you." There was some scuffling from the other end of the line. "Listen, we need to meet and talk about the details before tomorrow evening. You up for it?"

Faith pursed her lips. "I'm supposed to be working from eight until four."

"Skip it. Quit." Roxie's reply was prompt. "I figured you'd be needing some other place to work from what you told me at that bar. I've found you a front job. You, Lehane, now work security at a little underground club called La Sangre Negro. You've got papers and everything. Five hundred dollars a week." She sounded smug.

The Slayer blinked. "Wow. Really?"

"Yep." Roxie chuckled wickedly. "The boss owns a couple places already, and that's one of them. Anyway, we need to talk, chica. Come down to La Sangre Negro tomorrow at two, and we'll have a chat about things. I'll fill you in on what you need to know. Deal?"

"Yeah, sure. How do I get there?" Faith examined her fingernails.

"It's hard to find if you've never been there. Just give me an address. Someone will come get you." Roxie still sounded smug. "Listen, text me wherever you'll be. I have to go - business to take care of. We can talk tomorrow. See you, Lehane."

There was a click, and the line went dead. Faith quietly turned off her phone and put it back into her pocket. Then, with a soft sigh, she got off the couch and went upstairs to bed.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

La Sangre Negro.

Faith stood on the sidewalk outside the alley, eyeing the door that lay about sixty yards down it. The sign was understated, a simple red neon one that displayed the name of the place in block letters. Two heavily-built men in black t-shirts stood on either side of the door. She glanced back over her shoulder at the street, but there was no sign of the dark sedan that had just dropped her off. Faith hadn't recognized the driver, nor had she asked any questions. The man had picked her up and dropped her off without a word. She doubted she was ever going to see him again.

Scowling, Faith lit a cigarette and resumed her scrutiny of the door. Her Slayer senses were telling her that there were any number of demons and vampires in the vicinity. She was armed, of course - a long dagger was sheathed in the small of her back - but she still didn't particularly like the idea of walking into a place that was clearly crawling with the enemy. Was this some kind of trap? She smoked in silence for a moment or two. Then, her cigarette still dangling defiantly from her lips, she strode forward.

One of the security guards stepped in front of her and held up a hand to halt her progress. Without even breaking her stride, Faith caught his wrist and gave a hard jerk, sending him sprawling onto the pavement. The other one lunged at her, after gaping for a moment at the sight of the slightly-built woman taking down his partner. She stiffarmed him and strode through the door, letting it bang shut behind her. Once inside, Faith paused, taking a deliberate draw off her cigarette and raking her dark gaze across the room. She spotted Roxie sitting at a table by herself. Faith moved to the table, caught at a chair, and straddled it. She could hear the crashing behind her as the guards pursued. Meeting Roxie's gaze, Faith gave a cool smile, drew her knife, and rested it on the table. The blade was wickedly sharp and serrated on one side. The Slayer heard the cocking of revolvers, but she didn't react. "Hey, Zig," she said calmly. "Am I late?"

Roxie looked mildly startled for a moment, then amused. She raised her eyes to look at the guards who now stood with guns drawn and trained on the newcomer. "Put those damn things away before she shoves 'em up your asses, you morons," she said. "That's Faith Lehane, my new business partner. Now quit standing around and get lost." The men scowled at Faith, but did as they were told. Roxie's blue eyes twinkled faintly as she met Faith's gaze. "Hey, Lehane." She checked her watch. "Nope, you're two minutes early."

"Good. Wouldn't wanna be rude or nothin'." Faith looked around the shadowy room, picking out various vampires and two demons lurking about. Then she looked at Roxie with a coldly arched brow. Her fingers played deliberately over the hilt of her knife, which still lay in plain view on the table. "Wanna tell me what the hell's up, Ziggy?"

"What do you mean?" Roxie frowned at her.

Faith favored her with one of her sweet and deadly smiles. "Why the bloodsuckers and demons? I ain't fuckin' stupid. So you start tellin' me what you're really up to, or I'm gonna start usin' this pretty little knife. Your choice."

"Hah." The brunette ex-con smiled slowly. "So it's true, then. You are a Slayer."

Deliberately, Faith lifted her arm and stuck the point of the dagger into the table. Her dark eyes chilled to ice. "And?"

Roxie shrugged. "I figured you must be, is all," she said. "As strong and fast as you are, what else could you be? I watch the news, and I'm not stupid, Lehane." Faith's lip curled up, just slightly, to bare the tips of her white teeth. "Okay, okay. I'm getting to the point." The woman gestured at the room. "Our boss wants to corner the vampire drug market here in LA," she said. "That's where you come in. He's got human agents he trusts in this city, but it'd be stupid to send them into the demon clubs - they`d get their throats ripped out before they even got inside. You`re a Slayer. You can get in, easy."

The dark Slayer laughed. "And what the hell makes you think I'd wanna do that, huh? In case you didn't notice, Zig, bloodsuckers are the fuckin' enemy."

"Money's money," Roxie shrugged. "Besides, it's not like you're making alliances with them or something. You're selling them methamphetimine. Technically, you're damaging them, right?" Faith's lips tightened. Roxie reached down into a bag and laid out a few items on the table - a Blackberry, a sealed legal envelope, a stack of bills. "Here," she said. "This phone's yours now. You can do all our business on it. The bill comes to me, so you'll never have to explain it to whoever you're living with." She pushed the envelope forward. "This is all the paperwork you need to give your probation officer about working here. It's all legit, all legal. If you need anything else, we'll provide it." Lastly, she tapped the stack of bills. "And this is your first week's pay, plus a little two hundred dollar signing bonus."

Faith eyed the objects in silence for a moment. Then, without a word, she took the money and stuck it into the breast pocket of her jacket. She slipped the envelope into her coat, and laid her hand over the cell phone. "I'm in for now," she said, meeting Roxie's eyes and narrowing her own slightly. "But you better not be thinkin' about double-crossin' me, Zig. 'Cause you got no idea what I'm capable of. You an' your cronies try anythin' stupid, an' I guarantee I'll rip your guts out an' hang 'em around your neck. We clear on that?"

"We're clear." Roxie smirked just a bit.

The next instant, the brunette ex-con was slammed up against the wall! Faith tightened her left fist in the front of Roxie's shirt, holding her a good two feet off the floor, and snarled at her. The tip of her knife was pressing lightly at the base of the woman's throat. "I'm sensin' some lack of respect here, Zig," she growled. "Let's get somethin' clear. I don't give a flyin' fuck who you work for or who you got in your corner. I can be a real fuckin' bitch, Ziggy, an' believe me, you don't wanna see just how big a bitch I can be. Don't. Fuck. With. Me. Got it?"

Roxie's face had turned the color of wallpaper paste. She swallowed hard, her throat moving against the sharp tip of the blade. Faith heard people approaching, and pressed the weapon until a trickle of blood moved down Roxie's throat. "Tell 'em to piss off, Zig," she warned.

"Get back," the woman managed, waving one arm desperately. "I got this." The floor remained open around Faith. She locked her dark eyes with Roxie's nervous blue ones and smiled sweetly. The brunette ex-con put a hand carefully on Faith's arm. "All right, Lehane. Just calm down. Let's chill and talk about this, okay? We're all friends here."

"Are we?" Faith let her eyes move around the room, noting grim-looking vampires, and a blue demon with knobbly skin. "You sure 'bout that, baby? 'Cause I'm pretty sure I'm lookin' at a Slayer's natural enemies."

"It doesn't need to be like that, does it?" Roxie flinched as the knife moved just a bit. "Come on, Lehane. Look, I'm sorry if I came on like I was dissing you. We want to work together here. Let's just talk." Faith studied her face. Then, calmly, she removed the dagger and slowly lowered Roxie back to the ground, making sure to let the woman feel the strength it took to accomplish this feat. The two of them stood facing each other for a moment or two in silence. "Okay." The brunette ex-con rubbed her throat a little and adjusted her shirt. "Alastor, come meet Faith Lehane."

The blue-skinned demon moved forward. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a dark denim jacket, but his feet and his torso were bare. A pair of tusks like a boar's jutted from his muzzle, and bristly black hair sprouted from his head, cut into the rough shape of a short mohawk. His shape was that of a powerful humanoid, except for the fact that his legs ended in cloven hoofs. Faith shivered at this - she couldn't help but remember Kakistos, the cloven-hoofed vampire who had murdered her Watcher before her helpless eyes when she'd been a young teenager. She shot the demon a hostile glance, and he gulped audibly. "Uh, hi," he said nervously. "I'm...Alastor. I manage this bar."

"Huh." Faith regarded him through half-closed eyes. "So you're who I'm s'posed to be workin' security for, huh?"

Alastor gulped again. His pointed ears lowered, rather like a cowering dog's. "Um, yeah. N-not really, of course. Just a front, a cover, you know. Wouldn't want you to be distracted from the important stuff, right?" His black eyes glinted with fear.

"Right. Important stuff." The Slayer looked at Roxie. "Which is...?"

"Selling, of course. You're the muscle, Lehane," the brunette ex-con said. "We're starting tomorrow evening. Come by here at sundown, and we'll go talk to a guy. He runs a vampire club downtown - they get hundreds of customers a week. If he'll let us in, we can probably put our first like two, three dealers in there alone." She paused. "You might want to bring more than a knife."

Faith smirked. "I don't need more than a knife," she said evenly. "But sure. If it'll make you feel better." She regarded the nervous Alastor again. "We done here, Zig? 'Cause I got way better things t' do than stand around here smellin' these undead assholes."

"We're done." Roxie gave her a quiet smile. "If you want to jet, see you tomorrow, Lehane."

"A'right." Faith gave her a long, faintly suspicious look. "Tomorrow, Ziggy." She cast a cool glare around the room, noting with some satisfaction the way a number of vampires faded into the shadows as she did. With a smirk, Faith headed for the door, seating her dagger back into its sheath 


	13. Chapter 13

Willow gave Faith an odd look as she entered the kitchen to find the Slayer munching on toast and sipping at a cup of coffee. The witch glanced up at the clock and back at her roommate. "Morning. Are you running late?" she asked. "You're usually all showered after your run by now."

The Slayer gave her a quiet smile. "Nah," she said. "I quit at Gas Em Up."

"You did?" Willow looked dismayed. "Um...well, I mean, I'm supportive girl, you know? I'm all about the not being all grungy and the no nasty boss and stuff, but...do you really think that was a good idea?"

"Best damn idea I've had since I got here." Faith let her flounder for another second or two before she chuckled and relented. "I got a new job," she said. "I'm a security guard at a club. _La Sangre Negro_. Pays a lot better, an' I don't hafta scrub god knows what off stuff before I touch it."

The witch's eyes lit up. She gave a little squeal of excitement and flung her arms around the Slayer's neck. "Oh, Faith, that's _great!"_ she gushed. "Yay! I'm so happy for you." Faith choked a little, and Willow quickly loosened her grip. "Oh...sorry," she said sheepishly. "Got a little carried away."

"S'all good, Red." The Slayer grinned at her. Then, sobering, she met the witch's gaze. "So how much more d'you need me t' give you for rent?"

A hint of pink appeared across the bridge of Willow's nose. She hesitated. "Um..."

"C'mon, Red," Faith said quietly. "I know I ain't givin' you enough." She pulled a roll of bills from her pocket and laid it on the counter. "Here," she said. "This is five hundred bucks. I'll give ya this now. I'm gettin' five hundred a week, so you figure out what you need from me, an' I'll pay it from now on, a'right?"

The relief on Willow's face was unmistakable. "Thanks," she said. "This is good. I need to restock the fridge anyway. We've got to keep up with that tummy of yours, right?" She patted Faith's stomach with one hand as she picked up the money with the other. "And hey, we should go out and celebrate! Not tonight, though. Naphu and Justin are taking me out to a bar this evening, but yeah - we need to do something."

"We will." Faith grinned at her. "There's coffee if ya want it."

"Oh, I do." The witch began to fix herself some breakfast. "So tell me, how'd you find this job?" she asked. "I don't remember you mentioning applying for this one."

Faith finished her last mouthful of coffee, considered her empty plate, and decided to fix herself some eggs. She went to rummage in the fridge. "Yeah, I didn't apply," she said. "Ran into a chick I know at a bar, an' she hooked me up. Just good luck, I guess." Faith poured a dollop of oil into a pan and eyed the witch. "Want eggs? I'm makin' 'em anyway."

"Sure. Thanks." Willow smiled at her over the rim of her coffee cup. "I really am happy for you, Faith. I'm not just saying that," she said. "You've been working hard, and you deserved to catch a break." The Slayer grunted uncomfortably, absorbing herself in the cooking of the promised eggs. "How's the GED been going?"

"Pretty good. Final's in two weeks." Faith shot her a small smile. "Doin' real good in History an' stuff. Kinda droppin' the ball in Math an' English Lit, though. I ain't so good at numbers an' Shakespeare crap."

Willow's eyes lit up again. "Oh, I could help you. Or, I know - we could have a study date!" she said. "I'm pretty good at school stuff. I bet I could help you understand whatever you're having trouble with. Plus I haven't had a study date since I graduated from college."

The Slayer scooped the eggs onto two plates and set them onto the island. She eyed the redhead. "You do the research thing all the time."

"Well, yeah. But it's just not the same." Willow sighed wistfully and poked at her eggs.

"You're nuts," Faith said flatly. Then, as green eyes peered at her in faint hurt, "But you're a sorta nice kind of nut."

The witch smiled, the hurt disappearing. "Cashew, maybe?" And the two of them laughed together over their breakfast.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Faith stepped out of the cab at the end of the alley, at the same spot as the day before. She calmly adjusted her leather vest. She'd chosen to wear her leather pants and a white tank top, and the vest to display her tattooed arms. Her knife was once again sheathed at the small of her back. She wore her stakes on their thigh sheaths - her concession to Roxie's warning that she needed to be heavily armed.

There was already a lineup to get into _La Sangre Negro_. As far as Faith could tell, they were all vampires. She grimaced in distaste. _Betcha I ain't even allowed to stake their asses_, she groused inwardly. The dark Slayer stood scowling for a moment. Then she stalked forward.

The security guards spotted her as she approached. Without a word, one of them quickly opened the door for her. Faith hid a smirk as she headed for it. Just as she was about to cross the threshold, she heard one of the waiting vampires snigger. "Get a load of her. Looks like Alastor's providing the snacks tonight."

The Slayer drew her right stake and flung it in one smooth motion. She had a moment's impression of the vampire - a skinhead with a number of tattoos on his scalp - before he crumbled into dust. Her stake and his sunglasses bounced off the sidewalk an instant later. Coolly, Faith flipped her stake up to her hand with her toe and sheathed it again. She looked at the remaining vampires, who were staring at her with varying degrees of disbelief and hatred. With a smirk, Faith picked up the sunglasses and examined them. They were brand name. _Huh. Not bad._ She shrugged, tucked them into her breast pocket, and proceeded into the bar without another word. She heard no further snide remarks.

The room inside was nearly empty, since the place hadn't opened yet. There was a good-looking ice-blond vampire in a black dress working the bar. Alastor was talking to her, apparently oblivious to Faith's arrival. A couple more vampires were sitting at a table near the entrance. They had nearly identical crew cuts, though one had black hair, and the other had light brown. Both had clean-shaven faces. Faith stood spraddle-legged and looked around, but she didn't see Roxie anywhere. She caught the gaze of one of the vampires at the table. "Where's Ziggy?" she demanded tersely.

"Right here." The voice came from behind Faith. Turning, the Slayer spotted the brunette ex-con entering the bar. Roxie eyed her with faint exasperation. "It's not really good business to kill off the customers, you know," she said.

Faith shrugged, her face expressionless. "Mouthy vampire. Slayer. Dead vampire."

"Fair enough." Roxie sighed and shrugged. "Just maybe don't make too much of a habit of it, all right?" Faith inclined her head slightly. Roxie's face assumed its usual relaxed grin. "So, you ready to go to work?"

"Yep." Faith shoved her hands into her pockets and smirked. "Just show me the ass t' kick, Zig."

"First things first, tough stuff." Roxie beckoned as she made her way through to the back door of the bar. "I've got a little incentive to show you before we head downtown. I think it'll interest you, Lehane."

The Slayer's brow arched. "Incentive? What, d'you think I'm some kinda slacker?"

"No. But it never hurts to dangle a carrot." They stepped out of the club into the back parking lot of a factory. Roxie grinned at her and gestured. "Well, what do you think? Is this incentive enough?"

Following Roxie's pointing arm with her gaze, Faith's eyes came to rest on a beautiful, powerful motorcycle parked by the back door. It was a Harley Davidson, its chrome gleaming under the street lights. Her eyes widened. Practically salivating, the Slayer went to it and laid her hand on the seat. The smell of new leather wafted up from it. Faith gave a pleased purr as she circled the bike. "Holy fuckin' God," she muttered. "I think I'm in love." Roxie smirked, and Faith tore her eyes off the Harley to gaze at her. "What do I gotta do for it?"

"Just your job," Roxie said simply. "We'd have gotten you a car or something anyway, since you'll need to get around, but I figured you'd appreciate a little personal touch." She patted the bike's handles. "We'll go and get that club in the bag now. When we get back, if the trip's a success, this little beauty's yours, Lehane."

"Damn." Faith couldn't quite maintain her indifferent mask. Her dark eyes gleamed as they moved over the motorcycle's sleek lines. "Sure beats the usual company car all to hell," she said. "A'right, Ziggy, let's go take that bloodsucker club. I'm gettin' antsy. Plus I gotta patrol come midnight."

The brunette ex-con smiled easily. "You'll be free by then. Promise." She led the way over to a black Corvette that was parked nearby. "Come on, then. We'll go to _Heme_ now. It shouldn't take long." They got in - car doors slammed. "You're the persuasion," Roxie said. "My connections would keep them from ripping my throat out, but they wouldn't necessarily get them to give me the drug territory. That's where you come in." She shot Faith a wicked smile. "I'll do most of the talking, but you can jump in and intimidate the hell out of them whenever it looks like it might do some good."

"Can do." Faith could feel the adrenaline beginning to pump through her veins. Even though she didn't really trust Roxie, she was starting to enjoy herself. "So," she said casually, looking at her fellow ex-con out of the corner of her eye, "who're these connections of yours, anyway?"

Roxie didn't answer for a few moments. "That's one of those need-to-know things," she said, her tone almost apologetic. "Not saying I don't trust you, Lehane, but orders are you stay in the dark about stuff until the higher-ups decide you're straight up. Just hang in there long enough, and you'll know what there is to know." Faith fell into a thoughtful silence. Neither of them spoke as the car moved through the maze of city streets.

Eventually, Roxie pulled the car into a parking lot. They got out, and Roxie activated the alarm. Faith looked around with a puzzled frown. They were standing in front of a generic-looking mini mall. From where she stood, she could see a Gap and a Lulu*s. She made a face and looked over at Roxie, who was watching her in amusement. "What the fuck kinda club is this place?" she growled. "Does LA have yuppie vamps or somethin'?"

"You'll see." The brunette ex-con walked toward the main entrance of the mini mall. Faith followed, her nose still turned up in distaste. She didn't mind certain yuppies. (Buffy, for example.) Yuppie-ness in general, however, set her teeth on edge. It brought back her days as an urchin in Boston - days she'd tried to erase from her memory, when she'd starved in the streets, watching privileged, well-fed children as though they were another species.

Roxie paused just inside the front entrance. There were potted palm trees and large, decorative cactuses lining the walls. Roxie shot Faith a smug look. Then, without saying a word, she walked straight into a cactus to the left. Faith started - then again, as Roxie vanished from sight! She stood frozen for a second or two. Then, cautiously, Faith walked toward the same prickly plant that had just seemingly swallowed her companion. The wall melted away.

She found herself standing just inside the front door of what was obviously a fairly trendy dance club. The floor was tiled in black, with white grout. There was a bar along the far wall, which was outlined in strips of white molding. The entire place was lit with flashing black light. Pale vampire skin glowed under it. There were probably a hundred dancers there, gyrating on the floor. Faith's skin was suddenly crawling at the proximity of so many undead enemies. The smell of blood wafted to her nostrils then, hot and salty and coppery. She looked, and saw a young woman slumped in a corner to her left. Two vampires were feeding on her, alternating deep kisses with each other and drinking from wounds on her neck. Faith's hand closed unconsciously around the grip of her left stake.

A hand rested on her arm. "Come on, Lehane," Roxie said. "The manager's office is over here. Follow me." She paused and glanced back at Faith with a hint of amusement. "Look intimidating."

"Whatever. Let's get in an' out, a'right? This place makes me wanna go postal." The Slayer cast one more look back at the helpless girl, wincing as a vampire mouth latched onto the bloodied throat once again. Faith's lips tightened. Silently, she turned and followed Roxie through the crowd.

As they neared the back wall near the bar, a hand snaked out to grasp Roxie's shoulder. "Hey, pretty lady. You and your friend wanna have a night with a real man?" The face that leered in Faith's direction sported the full facial ridges of a vampire. The Slayer grabbed him by the wrist, wrenched his hand from Roxie, and held the point of her stake against his chest. He started, his yellow eyes widening.

Leaning forward and glaring up into his face, Faith smiled sweetly. "Hi. Slayer," she said evenly. "Wanna keep your hands to yourself, bloodsucker, or would you rather start something?"

He snarled at her. For a moment, he looked as if he was going to attack. Then Roxie captured his attention. She leaned closer to his ear and whispered. It would have been inaudible to any normal human, but Faith's Slayer hearing caught the words. "Unless you want both the Slayers and Sophia to know your name, I'd back off."

The vampire gave her a sharp look. Roxie stood up straight and looked at him calmly. After a moment, he melted into the crowd. Roxie looked at Faith, smiled and shrugged, and resumed her former course. Faith frowned. _Wonder who the hell Sophia is?_

There was a burly vampire dressed in a dark suit standing beside a door behind and to the right of the bar. Roxie approached him and held out a business card. "Roxanne Kerrigan," she said crisply. "Lance is expecting me."

The vampire's expression didn't change. He turned without a word and slipped through the door behind him. Faith stood fidgeting. She wasn't nervous - she felt no fear. It was more like caffeine jitters. She was still sensing the presence of the undead all around her, and every instinct she had wanted to burst into action and start killing. Faith looked at her hands and saw that they were shaking. Roxie looked at her. "You all right, Lehane?"

"Five by five." Faith's jaw tightened. "Just wanna bust up some vamps."

"Breathe, tiger," Roxie advised with a small smile. "It's bad business to kill your clientele, remember? I'm sure you'll be allowed to get violent when your Slayer people send you out later, right? Save it for then."

Faith grunted. "Depends on the bloodsuckers," she muttered. "I ain't makin' any promises if they shoot their damn mouths off."

The door opened again before Roxie could respond. The burly vampire in the suit stepped aside and held it open for them with exaggerated politeness. Roxie calmly walked through it. Faith followed more slowly, her hand still resting on the grip of her stake, her eyes resting suspiciously on the undead man.

The office inside was very professional. Floor lamps lit up the interior. Decent artwork decorated the walls, and the mahogany desk looked high quality. The man at the desk fit in well with his decor. He was a tall, slender man with neatly-trimmed brown hair, blue eyes and a sharp nose. He was dressed in an elegant and expensive-looking suit. Gracefully, he rose from his chair and extended a hand across the desk to Roxie. "Roxanne Kerrigan, I presume?" he said cordially. He spoke with a slight accent. "Welcome to _Heme."_

Unmistakably, the man was a vampire. Faith could feel it. She gazed at him expressionlessly. Roxie shook the proffered hand and gestured to the silent Slayer. "This is my business partner, Faith Lehane," she said.

"Lehane?" He looked at her with an enigmatic smile. "A fellow Irish soul, then. I'm Lance Ryan." The vampire gestured at the wall behind his desk, where a framed coat of arms was hung in a place of honor. "My family crest," he said.

Faith gazed at him coolly. "I never knew my dad," she said, "an' from where I'm sittin', that's a good thing. I'm American."

Lance regarded her for a moment in silence. "Ah," he said finally. "Slayer?" He glanced at Roxie, who gave a faintly amused nod. "I see." The vampire sat back down and gestured. "Have a seat, ladies. Let's talk business." The women seated themselves. Lance folded his hands and looked at Roxie with a professional smile. "What can I do for you tonight, Miss Kerrigan?"

"I think I already told you over the phone, Lance," Roxie said. "We represent someone with a lot of product, and we're looking to move it. We want to sell here."

"Product." Lance rested his chin on his folded hands. "Bling - Cotton Candy?"

Roxie nodded. "That's right. Crystal meth."

The vampire tapped his long fingers on the polished surface of the desk. "See, the problem is that we already have..._distributors_...for that kind of thing," he said, watching Roxie closely. "Organizations like that tend to get upset when they lose some of their selling territory. Your backer has a notable presence in southern California, but that's it, and none here in Los Angeles. That concerns me."

A cool smile curved Roxie's lips. "Your recon's outdated," she said, tossing a folder onto his desk. "We're under new management."

Lance took the folder and opened it. After a moment, his eyes suddenly widened. Faith could see unmistakable fear and disbelief crossing his features. His blue eyes flicked up to Roxie's. "What the hell are they doing messing around in meth dealing? Or in the States, for that matter?" he asked, his professional veneer falling away.

"Finances," Roxie said simply. "Everyone needs a few bucks every now and then, right? Especially in times like these." She leaned back in her chair and folded her hands over her stomach. "As for the States, well...you could ask them. They might tell you if they were feeling generous."

He shut the folder almost violently and stuffed it into a drawer in his desk. "I don't know if I want to mess around with that kind of shit," he muttered. "I've got a good thing going here. Stuff like that draws attention, damn it."

Faith took this opportunity to catch Lance's attention. She gave him her coldest, most threatening smile. "Look, _Lancey,"_ she said, "we ain't fuckin' around. We got ice, we want it sold here, end of story." She waved her hand to indicate the club. "You got a nice setup. Magic shield or somethin' - I couldn't feel the bloodsuckers in here until I walked through the damn thing. Bet the Slayers in this city don't know nothin' about this place, do they?" She narrowed her eyes slightly, and her smile widened. "Wonder what'd happen if Buffy Summers made this joint?"

The Irish vampire flinched perceptibly. He turned almost pleading eyes on Roxie. "If I do business with you, I'm going to tick off some pretty dangerous people," he said. "Maybe they can't threaten you, but they sure as hell can do things to me. It's not like you're the only vampire drug dealing outfit in LA."

The Slayer leaned across the desk, snatched a pen, and slapped it down in front of him. "Easy fix," she said calmly. "Give me names an' addresses. Whatever the hell you know about 'em. I'll make 'em disappear."

He looked at her with something like disbelief. "You really have Summers on a line?"

"Somethin' like that." Faith leaned back and regarded him lazily. "Might call me a double agent, Lancey. Start writin'."

There was a pause. After a while, the vampire pulled a yellow legal pad from his desk and began to scribble on it. He referred to a PDA a few times, and once opened a desk drawer to examine a business card. Finally, when he'd covered two pages with writing, he ripped them off and pushed them across the desk at her. "There," Lance said. "So the deal is, you guys can send your dealers here. But I want protection. That means you take out these guys," tapping the sheets he'd put in front of Faith, "and keep the Slayers away. Deal?"

"Sounds like we have an understanding." Roxie grinned at him and got up. She stuck her hand out. "Pleasure doing business with you."

He rose and shook her hand, still looking rattled. He glanced at Faith as if he was considering offering her his hand as well, but he seemed to reconsider at the look on her face. "A pleasure, ladies," he said faintly. Roxie turned and left. Faith tucked the folded papers into the pocket of her vest and smirked at him before following after her companion.


	14. Chapter 14

Faith pulled up to Willow's house on her new Harley and regretfully killed the engine. She'd ridden around after patrol for nearly an hour, zipping through the more deserted streets with a sense of freedom and genuine happiness that she hadn't felt in a very long time. Faith grinned to herself and gently stroked the leather seat between her legs. "There's a good boy," she said. "I'm gonna treat you nice, baby. Oh hell, yeah." With one last pat, Faith got off the bike.

A sound to her left made her pause and peer down the dimly-lit street. Someone was lurching her way toward Faith, weaving about more or less on the sidewalk. The Slayer's eyebrows lowered. Just then, the staggering figure fell against Willow's fence and nearly went down. It clung there, and a drunken giggle escaped. Faith's eyes widened even as her brow furrowed. "Red? That you?" she said, sheathing the stake that she'd instinctively drawn.

The figure's head turned, and a pair of sheepish green eyes peered at her. "Faith?" Willow groaned. "Aw, man…was hopin' to get 'ome before you…you foun' me." She tried to take a step, lurched, and fell sprawling in the grass by the sidewalk. Another little ripple of laughter burst from her.

"Hoo boy." The Slayer rubbed the back of her neck. _Drunk witch. Very drunk, very powerful witch. This could get interesting. An' just why the fuck did Naphu an' Justin leave her out here by herself like this? Gonna hafta have a talk with 'em later._ "Hey, Red, let's get you inside, a'right?" she said quietly. "I'm done my rounds. I'll help you. C'mon." She slid her arm around Willow's waist and helped her to her feet.

The witch laughed as they started forward and slouched against her, slinging both of her slim arms around Faith's body. "Wow, I get s'm action," she slurred, groping under the Slayer's leather vest. "You're so hot."

"Thanks," Faith said wryly, steering the staggering woman up the walkway that led to the front door. "We'd better put you to bed, Miss Tipsy Witch." Even with Faith's Slayer strength, it was a challenge to maneuver Willow through the door, up the stairs and into her bedroom. The redhead flopped on the bed and giggled like a schoolgirl while Faith pulled her shoes off for her. After a moment's hesitation, the dark Slayer also stripped off the woman's jeans and t-shirt. Then she spread the blanket over Willow's body.

A slender hand caught the collar of Faith's leather vest and tugged her downward. "You c'ming in, too?" Willow purred, her green eyes dark and sultry. "The things I'm gonna do t'you…you ba-a-ad girl..." And she giggled again.

Faith gently disentangled the grabbing fingers. "Get some sleep, Red," she said quietly. "Just call if you need me." Willow gave her a wide, sloppy grin before closing her eyes. With a sigh and an amused shake of her head, Faith closed the bedroom door behind her and headed downstairs to lock up.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The next morning revealed a very penitent redhead in the kitchen. Willow's head was lying on the counter. "Ooh," she moaned dismally. "That does it. Next research project – find a magical cure for hangovers."

Faith chuckled. "I got your magic cure right here," she said, flicking on the coffee maker. "Go take a hot shower an' some aspirin, Red. You'll perk up." The witch peered dourly at her, wincing at the light. Then, grumbling, Willow got up and shuffled down the hall toward the bathroom.

By the time Willow returned, Faith was expertly flipping the last waffle off the iron and onto a plate. The witch accepted the cup of coffee the Slayer pushed at her and gave her a skeptical look. "Waffles? Jeez, Faith, I never figured you for the domestic type."

"Amazing what you can learn in prison, ain't it?" Faith said lightly. "Decade or two of kitchen duty, you pick up a few things." She shook a fork in Willow's direction. "Just don't expect this Martha Stewart routine very often, a'right? I got an image to protect, y'know." The witch laughed a bit, then groaned, rubbed her head, and went to work on her coffee.

There was silence for a while. Willow picked at an invisible speck on the countertop. "Oh hey, Faith…I don't remember a whole lot from last night, but I think I remember throwing myself at you." Faith looked at her, and saw a faint blush on the witch's cheeks. "I just wanted to thank you for not, uh…catching the pass." The blush deepened. "Not that you're not a good target, you know? I mean, look in the mirror, hello! Sex bomb, right? It's just, what with the drunk, and the stupid awkward morning after thing, and the whole lack of build-up, it would've been too weird. For me. Maybe you too, though, right? I mean, God, it's been sixteen years, maybe you don't do the whole one night stand thing anymore. Do you? I don't remember you saying…"

"Red. You're givin' me a headache." Faith set a plate of waffles in front of Willow and reached for the coffee pot. "An' you're welcome," she added. "I'm up for rolls in the hay, but I ain't low enough anymore t' take advantage of you, Red."

"I...I know. Thank you. I meant it." Willow applied syrup to her breakfast and began to nibble at it. The two women ate in silence. After a while, Willow peered up at her again. "Listen, um…Faith?" The Slayer looked at her. "I bought this house with Kennedy," the witch said softly. "And I've been really lonely here since she died. But since you moved in," with a gentle smile, "it's been good. I really enjoy your company."

The dark woman felt her cheeks warm. She looked away in sudden discomfort. "No problem." She took a large bite of breakfast. "You ain't so bad, either," Faith mumbled with her mouth full.

"I…" Willow hesitated. "...Faith? Since the subject's come up now, and I'm not drunk anymore…what would you do if I were to make a real pass at you? You know – hypothetically."

Faith paused with her teeth halfway through a piece of waffle. After staring at Willow for a moment, she finished her bite and carefully washed it down with a sip of coffee. "Listen, Red," she said quietly. "You're damn cute. It ain't that I don't like you. An' I know I'm wicked hot, an' I've got that whole bad girl vibe goin' on, but I ain't anything like what you want for a girlfriend. You've had two really awesome chicks. Don't fuck up your track record with a trailer trash ex-con like me, all right?"

"My track record? You mean Tara and Kennedy." The witch rested her chin on her hand and knotted her brows. "So what are you saying – you don't think you're good enough for me?"

The Slayer stirred her coffee. "Somethin' like that, yeah."

"That's bull, Faith, and I'm going to tell you why." Willow leaned her elbows on the counter and caught Faith's dark eyes with her own. "I think you've got all of us on Buffy's crew up on some pedestal in your mind. And maybe that's kind of natural, given all the history between us. But it's not true, all right? Take my case against yours." The witch began to tick off her points on her fingers. "You betrayed Buffy? Well, I did, too. Only what I did was way worse, because you betrayed us when we weren't even really your friends, and I betrayed Buffy, who's been my best friend all my life. You killed those three guys? I've killed, too. What's different is you went to prison, and I didn't."

Faith broke the eye contact and looked down into her coffee cup. "That's not true," she said quietly. "The…part about the killin' three guys." Willow looked at her quizzically. "I killed again. In prison, I mean." Faith paused. She didn't even really know why she was telling the Watcher this, but she couldn't seem to help herself. "See, I had this cellmate named Dora…" And she told the story of how she'd come to kill Carmen.

There was dead silence when she'd finished. Faith was still staring down at the counter, unable to look at the witch. She was afraid to see the horror and reproach that she was sure she would find in those expressive green eyes. "So there you go," she said huskily. "Like I said, I ain't nothin' you wanna get involved with, Red. That's why I don't smack B down for callin' me a waste of skin, y'know? Because it's kinda true."

"Oh, Faith." The Slayer only had a moment to register the fact that Willow's voice was full of compassion before a pair of arms wrapped around her body, and she found her head pulled up against Willow's birdbone shoulder. "That must have been so horrible for you. I'm so sorry," the witch whispered.

Normally, the dark Slayer would have immediately shoved the woman away, terrified of the intimacy. Somehow, she couldn't bring herself to do it. She found herself wistfully craving the warmth and the closeness. "Worst part is," Faith muttered, "I don't even feel bad about it. Killin' the bitch, I mean." She paused. "It's Dora," she whispered. "It's like I killed the kid myself, y'know? I was s'posed to protect her. That was our deal. And I stopped lookin' for her…I just holed up in my goddamn cell an' saved my own worthless ass, 'stead of finding the kid an' makin' sure she was okay."

Willow sniffled. To Faith's astonishment, there were tears trickling down the redhead's cheeks. "Faith, I'm sorry," the witch said. "I just abandoned you after you went back to prison. That never should have happened. I'm so sorry, Faith."

The Slayer's eyes widened in honest shock. "What the hell? You don't owe me a thing," she said. "I mean…God, Red, I held a knife on ya that one time. I would've cut you up. Hell, I woulda killed you. Why the hell should you've made nice with me and sent me flowery cards while I did time?"

"Because I knew better," Willow said softly. "We all should have. You voluntarily stayed in prison. You didn't have to do that. I knew you were trying to make things right, but I didn't make any effort to meet you halfway, and I should have. I acted like I was so much better than you were, and I never was, Faith. I'm so sorry."

Faith stared at her. She had no idea what to do with this. "Um…okay."

There was silence. Both women suddenly became very aware of their physical contact. A shy smile wavered around the corners of Willow's mouth; she lifted a hand to smooth back a lock of Faith's thick, brown hair. "So, now that we've established that we're both equally terrible human beings, will you let us try being more than friends?"

The dark Slayer bit her lips uncertainly. "B won't like it."

"You know, contrary to popular opinion, Buffy's not in charge of my love life." Willow's brows arched. "Besides, I outrank her now. If she doesn't like it, I can have her reassigned to Alaska or something."

Faith couldn't help laughing at the mischievous glint that appeared in Willow's green eyes. She hesitated. "I dunno, Red. I just..."

"Well, I can help with the indecisive thing." The witch put both her arms around the Slayer's neck and gave her a wicked look. "I'm going to hide around corners and pounce on you and do this until you make up your mind." And, leaning forward, she pressed her mouth against Faith's.

_Oh. My. God._ The kiss sent a wave of heat through Faith's body that nearly made her toes curl. Before she knew what she was doing, the Slayer had caught the witch around her slender waist and tugged her into her lap, deepening the kiss. Willow's jaw slackened to allow Faith access to her mouth. Faith moaned deep in her throat as the witch gently caught her tongue between her teeth and sucked on it.

After a while, the lack of oxygen caught up with them, and they parted, panting softly. Willow gave her a mischievous look and lightly licked Faith's lips. "Are you ready to say yes yet, dark and delicious?"

Faith's laugh was gruff and breathless. "Yeah. I guess so, Red."

"Good." Willow gave a happy wriggle on Faith's lap. "So, when's our first date?"

Faith grinned. For the second time that night, she was feeling really and truly happy. She tugged the redhead a bit closer. "What're you doin' tomorrow night, babe?"

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Faith looked around the room, feeling decidedly uncomfortable. She was dressed in her usual black leather pants, having flatly refused to abandon them, but Willow had managed to talk her into changing almost everything else. Instead of her beloved tank top, she was wearing a button-up white, collared shirt. The top three buttons were undone, and a black tie was knotted loosely at her neck. _This is way odd_, Faith grumbled to herself, shifting her shoulders under their unusual confinement. Her dark eyes flicked around the restaurant as a smiling Willow talked to the hostess.

It was a real restaurant, not a pub or a diner. There were waiters in suits and wine lists and tablecloths, and frankly Faith couldn't remember the last time she'd been in a place like this. She followed the redhead and the hostess to a table, where they were seated and given menus. Willow smiled at her from across the table. "Isn't this place nice?" she said. "Their crab cakes are supposed to be out of this world. Dawn and Craig come here all the time on their dates."

"Yeah. Fancy." The dark Slayer shifted uncomfortably and studied the menu. There weren't any prices on it; her brow wrinkled, and she looked up at Willow.

The witch laughed softly. "Don't worry about money. You're my date, and it's my treat," she explained. "Since I'm the one who asked you out, I'm paying. You can do the next one, all right?"

"Okay." Faith's cheeks reddened. _God, she's fine._ The Slayer let her gaze linger on Willow's elfin features, and the smooth curve of her slender neck. She could feel lust bubbling up inside her like a volcano. _Damn. I could just jump her bones right here on this table. Wouldn't that just frost these upper crust bigwigs?_ She shot an evil grin at the witch and resumed her study of the menu.

"Hey," Willow murmured. Faith looked up to find those green eyes dark with desire – her breath caught. "How much do you trust me, Faith Lehane?" The Slayer opened her mouth, but found herself completely unable to speak. Willow let her stew for a moment, then giggled. "Do you trust me enough to let me order for you?" she asked cheerfully, sitting back in her chair. "Because I had some recommendations from Dawn."

"Bitch tease." Faith's breathing slowly returned to normal as she flashed the witch a rueful grin. "Yeah, whatever, babe. Just don't poison me."

"Certainly not," Willow said loftily. "I intend to have you panting for me by the end of the night, and poisoning you would throw that plan right off the tracks."

"You won't hafta work that hard, Red." Faith slowly ran her eyes down Willow's body. The witch was dressed in a knee-length skirt and blouse that clung in all the right places. Faith deliberately licked her lips. Willow flushed scarlet, and Faith sat back in her chair with a laugh. "Score one for the Slayer."

Willow scowled. "Just for that, I'm making you eat vegetables," she threatened.

"Ain't enough magic in the world to make me do that." Faith grinned impishly, displaying her dimples. "Not even for you, hottie witchy Watcher."

"Mm." Willow gave an exaggerated sigh and pout before smiling back. "Oh, all right. I'll let you keep your bad girl no-veggie street cred. But you better put out later to make up for it."

Faith responded with a wide, evil grin. "Don't forget – you asked for it, Red."

The two of them ate their meals and chatted. Faith was surprised at how much she was enjoying herself, considering that her usual dates started with alcohol and ended with meaningless, animal sex, with very little chatter in between. _Huh. Wonder if I'm gettin' all civilized, or something?_ As they drank their after-dinner beverages – an apple martini for Willow, a brandy for Faith – the witch glanced at the clock. "The movie starts in half an hour," she said. "I guess we'd better get going."

The Slayer gave her a pained look. "Tell me it ain't a chick flick," she begged.

Willow laughed. "No, it isn't. But it isn't _The Fast and the Furious_, either, so don't get your hopes up too high, Miss Lehane."

Gallantly, Faith pulled out Willow's chair and held her light jacket for her as she got into it. "Is it a porno?" she asked hopefully. "Bet we'd both enjoy that, and then we wouldn't hafta worry about whether we're in the mood later."

"Faith." Willow gave her a look. "Is that all you ever think about?"

"Well, Jesus, gimme a break. I haven't gotten any since they released me, and I'm on a date with the hottest chick on the West Coast. What d'you want me to think about, the weather reports?" Faith did up Willow's jacket zipper for her, and let her touch linger on the witch's chest. She saw the redhead's nostrils flare. Faith grinned. "D'you wanna skip the movie?" she asked coyly. "That would give us a lot more time to boink like bunnies."

"Faith!" Willow's face was scarlet. She buried it in her hands in embarrassment. "God, did you have to say that?"

"Say what? Boink?" The dark Slayer was skilfully guiding her girlfriend out of the restaurant. "Sorry, Red. Didn't realize you were so damn sensitive. Lemme rephrase it for ya. Hump like rabbits? Screw like squirrels? Fuck like…"

"_Faith!"_

"…Well, I was gonna say 'ferrets,' but 'Faith' works," the Slayer said agreeably. "Same basic concept. Although, really, you don't have any experience in the area yet, so I'd hafta ask ya if you were just guessin', or if I've really got that good a reputation in bed sports." Willow moaned in exasperation, her ears now a very fiery shade of crimson. Faith laughed and opened the passenger door for her. "Hop in, babe."

"Ugh, you suck so much!" Willow flopped into the seat and pouted. Faith grinned and got into the driver's seat. The witch suddenly turned on her. "Hey! This is my car! How'd you get the keys? Why are you driving…_Faith!"_

Smoothly, the Slayer pulled the car away from the curb and hit the gas. She flashed her date a winning, if evil, smile. "I got the keys outta your pocket, Red," she said cheerfully. "And I'm drivin' 'cause if I don't carjack you, I gotta spend the next couple hours watchin' fucking _Failure To Launch_ instead of gettin' it on, and I ain't waitin' that long to get in your pants." She grinned wider at Willow's outraged squawk. "Hey, babe, trust me. You'll thank me later." Faith waggled her eyebrows. "So, wanna do it at your place, or should we shack up at a motel?"

Willow's eyes flashed. "If you think for one instant that I'm going to let you do me in a motel like some kind of a cheap hooker, you've got another thing coming, Faith Lehane," she snapped. "I've got perfectly good beds at my place."

"Mm. But there's somethin' exciting about motels, y'know?" Faith's eyes sparkled with mischief. "It's all so Bonnie and Clyde."

"I've got a liquor cabinet," Willow pointed out, with a trace of desperation.

"Bribin' me with booze? Tsk, tsk." Faith laughed and turned the car toward Willow's neighborhood. "A'right, Red. You know my weakness. Throw me a beer or two, an' I'll finish this seduction thing in your bed." She waggled her eyebrows again. "In fact, make it a Jack Daniels, an' I'll even throw in some foreplay."

The witch pouted. "You think you're so funny," she said. "Just flash those dimples and wiggle that little ass of yours in those leather pants, and you think I'll do anything you want me to." There was a hint of a smile playing about the corners of her lips.

"Hell yeah. I'm irresistible," the dark Slayer grinned. "An' I've got a damn fine ass. I've seen you checking it out, Red. You can't pretend you don't." She turned her attention to the road. "An' anyway, you left out my chin. All the chicks dig it."

"What, this thing?" A soft hand cupped Faith's jaw, nearly making the Slayer steer the car into a pole. Willow giggled and pressed a fingertip into the cleft in Faith's chin. "Okay, I admit it's kind of cute," the witch said. "All sweet and nicely shaped, and this adorable little dimple. But I'm more of a breast woman."

"Cute?" Faith shot her a look of outrage. "Look, babe, I am not adorable. I'm sexy, I'm smokin' hot, but I'm not, an' I repeat, _not_ cute."

Willow leaned over and lightly brushed her lips over the shell of Faith's ear. The dark Slayer shuddered as goosebumps washed over her. "Whatever you say, cute stuff," the witch breathed. Her hand rested on Faith's knee and very slowly began to inch upward. Faith made a strangled noise, and Willow giggled, nipping her earlobe. "Something wrong?"

"Nah. But if you don't quit that, I'm gonna be pullin' over and takin' you hard and fast bent over a trash can or somethin'." The Slayer's dusky cheeks were flushed.

"Hm. Better drive faster, then, you big, bad Slayer," the elfin witch purred. Faith looked at her, looked back at the road, and stepped hard on the gas.

They made the twenty-minute drive back to Willow's place in about five minutes. By some miracle, they didn't get pulled over. The instant Faith had slammed the car into park, her hands were ripping off Willow's seatbelt and hauling her bodily out the driver's side door. The witch squealed and shook with laughter. Faith grabbed her slim body, tugging her against herself with both hands on her buttocks, and caught her mouth in a bruising kiss. Willow moaned, her slender hands clasping at Faith's upper arms. The dark Slayer pinned her hard against the car and kissed her deeper, pulling at the blouse until she had access to bare skin.

"God," Willow panted as Faith started to pull up her skirt. "Oh, Goddess…Faith, please…inside first…"

"Buzz kill." Faith licked her, trailing a hot tongue from her collarbone and up her throat to the corner of her jaw. Willow moaned. With admirable skill, Faith began to move toward the front door, never once removing hands or mouth from the succulent flesh of her soon-to-be lover.

When they hit the hallway, Faith steered them toward the living room and the couch, not wanting to have to navigate the stairs. Willow didn't protest. With a jerk, Faith tore off the witch's blouse, scattering buttons on the floor. "Oh, _Goddess,"_ Willow groaned, and tried to press herself harder against the Slayer's body. Faith deftly tugged down Willow's skirt and rolled them both onto the couch in one smooth motion.

Faith wanted to just ravage her elfin lover. Every hormone in her body was roaring at her to do it, but she forced herself to slow down. She slid a hand around the back of Willow's neck and kissed her, slowly and passionately, exploring the witch's mouth. Willow's tongue slipped between her teeth, and Faith took a moment to suck on it. The redhead's eyes rolled back in pleasure. "I wanna make this special for you, babe," Faith said hoarsely, beginning to fumble at the clasp of Willow's bra. "Just tell me what you want."

The witch was panting for breath. "I thought…you were more the…dominant type," she managed. "You know, just…take what you want."

"I can do that." Faith's dark eyes were sultry as she bared Willow's breasts. "I'm yours tonight, baby. You want me t' just take you, say the word. You want sweet an' slow, I'm your girl. What's your poison, sweet thing?" And she ducked her head to slide her tongue under the swell of Willow's left breast.

Gasping sharply, the witch arched her back. "You mean, you'd let me be in charge of this?" she panted. Willow looked aroused and intrigued. "You'll do what I say?"

Faith felt a thrill of excitement and dread at the sudden gleam in the powerful witch's eye. "Whatever you say, baby," she affirmed softly. "I'll be your bitch."

"Well, then. In that case." Willow grinned wickedly and flicked her slim fingers at the collar of Faith's white shirt. "I want you naked, Slayer. Except for these." Her hands tugged lightly on the waistband of Faith's leather pants. "So start stripping."

This was something new, and Faith thought she kind of liked it. There was something that felt right about slamming down control on her own libido and meekly getting up to obey her slender lover. She unbuttoned and removed her shirt, revealing her naked torso, and pulled off her socks. "How's this, babe?" she said seductively, turning around and striking a pose, knowing that the witch's smoldering eyes would be glued to her chest.

"Get over here." Willow reached out for her as she obeyed, and they lost themselves in the haze of mutual lust.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The sensation of being crushed dawned slowly on Faith's sleep-fogged mind. She scowled and grumbled under her breath as she slowly woke. The fabric under her back was rough and a bit lumpy, and there was something heavy and warm draped overtop of her. A moment's fitful examination with her hands revealed it to be a woman's naked body. Faith opened her eyes.

She was lying on Willow's couch, and said witch was currently sprawled out on top of her with her red head nestled beneath Faith's chin. Neither one of them was wearing a stitch of clothing. It seemed they'd also been unable to locate a blanket during their activities the previous night, since they were simply tangled together au naturale.

…Not that Faith was complaining. She studied her lover's fine-boned face, examining her features up close. The woman had a snubbed nose with a fine dusting of freckles over its bridge. Her brows and even her lashes were rusty red, a shade or two lighter than her mop of soft, fiery hair. She looked very young and innocent while she slept – one would never suspect that she was arguably the most powerful witch in the world. She looked, in fact, pretty damned cute. Faith kissed the top of her head and began to explore the slim body very gently with her hands.

Strangely enough, as many times as Faith had done the sex thing, she didn't think she'd ever woken up the next morning with one of her lovers. It was always just about the sex, and she'd always leave before morning, or kick out her partner. This was another new experience. It felt…Faith frowned, pausing in her stroking to consider. It felt nice, she decided. Warm and safe, and kind of sweet. She resumed her work, sliding her palms slowly from Willow's slender shoulders all the way down to the backs of her thighs. There was something about the little witch that brought out her tender side.

Willow stirred and groaned, turning her face against Faith's naked shoulder. The Slayer felt the witch's arms tighten slightly around her. She stuck out her tongue and licked softly at the tempting lobe of Willow's ear, trailing it along the smooth skin. Willow moaned again, and shivered. Faith chuckled. "Morning, babe."

"Can't be. Way too early. Call back later." The witch's voice was muffled by Faith's skin.

Faith almost laughed. She twisted her head around to look at the clock on the wall, and then rubbed Willow's back. "Sorry, hot stuff, but it's six-thirty. You gotta have the store open in an hour an' a half, y'know. Plus I gotta go see my probie 'bout my new job."

The witch gave a heartfelt groan. "Ugh." There was a pause. "Faith?" came the pitiful voice.

Faith peered down at her. "What's the what, Red?"

"Would you make me coffee, baby?" Willow looked up at her mournfully, her lower lip protruding just a little.

The Slayer laughed and caught the lip carefully between her teeth, and then followed that up with a gentle and thorough kiss. "Sure thing, gorgeous," she grinned. "Hey, gimme some more sugar, an' maybe I'll even fix you breakfast. Consider it a bribe."

Willow considered this. "Eggs?"

"Eggs. An' toast, an' sausage." Faith wiggled her eyebrows. "An' coffee."

"Mm." The witch crawled up Faith's body and looked down at her, her green eyes darkening to hazel with desire. "In that case," she murmured, nipping lightly at Faith's lips, "you'll get your sugar, you blackmailing street hood, you." Then she went in for a deeper kiss. Faith lay back and enjoyed it. They stayed that way for a few minutes, with Willow exploring the dark Slayer's mouth, before the witch finally and reluctantly broke the contact. "That's it. Time for your half of the bargain, Faith," she said. "I'm going to take a shower before breakfast."

"A'right." Faith watched Willow's retreating and very inviting bottom approvingly. Then, with a sigh, she got up. Her leather pants beckoned from the floor. The Slayer slipped into them. Then, with a wicked smirk, she turned away from the rest of her clothes and headed into the kitchen. _Well, she never said I had t' get dressed to do this, did she?_

The outfit earned her another kiss once Willow reappeared. They ate breakfast together companionably. Then, with a sigh of regret, the redhead got up and gave Faith a chaste kiss on the cheek. "I've got to go, sexy," she said. "Good luck today. I'll see you tonight."

"Yeah, babe. Tonight." Faith grinned and watched as her new lover disappeared through the door. Then, with a sigh, she headed upstairs to get ready for her day.


	15. Chapter 15

"Faith?"

The Slayer was suddenly aware of the presence of sunlight. It was very unwelcome at the moment, since she had been sound asleep up until about three seconds ago, and wanted to stay that way. She gave an incoherent grumble, rolled over, and pulled a fold of her blanket up over her face. This took care of the offending sunlight. Satisfied, she let herself sink back down toward blissful unconsciousness.

A soft hand touched her arm. "Faith?" came a tentative voice. "Are you awake?"

_...And that's what woke me up. Damn it!_ Faith's mind was full of cobwebs, but she was awake enough to be very irritated. She groggily tugged the blanket down from her face and opened one eye to glare at the intruder. A contrite-looking Willow was leaning over her. Faith growled at her. "What?"

"I'm sorry to wake you up, baby," the witch said gently, bending down to kiss her cheek. "I know you've only had six hours of sleep. But it's almost time for Buffy to get here, and I'd rather you be there when I tell her, okay?"

"Grmph." The Slayer rolled over again, turning her back to her lover. "Go 'way."

A slim body slipped down to rest on top of Faith's, and she felt soft lips nibbling at the side of her neck. "Come on, baby," Willow coaxed. "You have to be there. It's about both of us, isn't it? We should both do it." The witch covered the side of Faith's face with gentle kisses. Faith grumbled again. "C'mon, sweetie. Get up. I'll give you espresso and everything, I promise."

"Ugh." The Slayer turned her head to glower at her lover. "Why'd she hafta come over now? Doesn't she sleep durin' the damn day like a regular Slayer? She's just doin' it to fuck with me, ain't she?"

"No. She has to pick up Hope from school today, and then she's busy until patrol time. This is the only time today Buffy could fit it in." Willow stroked her grumpy lover's hair and kissed her forehead. "Come on now, baby. Come downstairs and drink some espresso and wake yourself up."

The Slayer reluctantly sat up. "Yeah, great," she grumbled, fumbling around on the floor for her jeans. "Gotta make sure I'm conscious before B kicks my ass for datin' you."

"She's not going to kick your ass." Willow gave her an affectionate look. "Even if she's upset about it, she wouldn't just beat on you, Faith."

The dark-haired woman paused in the act of putting on her t-shirt to cock an eyebrow at her lover. "An' you've known B how long?"

"Faith," Willow said, exasperated. "Come on, now."

"Yeah, yeah, B's a goddess, Buffy's great, Saint Elizabeth of fuckin' Sunnydale, blah blah blah." Faith buttoned her jeans and hunted around for a missing sock. "Just don't say I didn't warn ya. She's gonna beat the hell outta me. Even if she don't actually hit me." Willow just sighed.

A double shot of espresso in some warmed milk improved Faith's mood a little. She dug through the cupboards in search of jelly Danish, located some, and returned to her coffee with her pastries. Willow snitched one of them and nibbled on it. There was silence for a few minutes. "Hey, Faith?" The Slayer grunted and looked up at her. "Out of curiosity, where'd you get the Harley? Those are kind of expensive, aren't they?"

Faith took a large bite of Danish and washed it down with the last of her beverage. "Boss gave it to me," she said indifferently. "Kind of a company car deal."

"Wow. Really?" Willow blinked. "That's pretty awesome, Faith."

"Boss likes me." Faith shrugged and gave her lover a cocky little smirk. "It ain't really mine. If I got fired, I'd hafta give it back." _Little white lies. Better change the subject_. "So when's B gonna get here?" She glanced at the clock - it was almost noon.

A car door slammed. "That's probably her now," Willow said, getting up. She dropped a quick kiss on Faith's cheek as she went past her toward the front door. The Slayer remained where she was, munching sullenly on her second jelly Danish. However optimistic Willow might have been about this, Faith very much doubted that Buffy was going to be very understanding. At best, the blond Slayer had been polite and professional to Faith - at worst, she'd threatened to tear her to pieces. Faith highly doubted that Buffy was about to congratulate and throw them a party.

Voices. "Hey, Buff," came Willow's cheerful greeting. "Thanks for coming."

"Hi, Will." Buffy sounded amiable. "Thanks for inviting me. We haven't had hang-out time in ages."

"I know. We really should schedule in more Scooby timeslots." Footsteps. "C'mon into the kitchen. Faith and I were just having Danish and espresso stuff. Would you like some?"

Faith looked up as the two women entered the kitchen. She saluted Buffy solemnly with her half-eaten Danish. "Mornin', B," she said. "Got a cherry an' a lemon one left."

"No, thanks." Buffy's expression was reserved as she looked at her fellow Slayer. "I already had something before I left home." Then her eyes flicked back to Willow. "So, what's up?" she asked, perching herself on the barstool nearest where the witch was standing. "It sounded like you had something to tell me when you called."

"Heh. Straight to the point, huh? No beat-around-the-bush Buffy." Willow smiled nervously. She slipped over to where Faith was toying with the remains of her Danish and laid a hand on the dark Slayer's shoulder. "Well, I figured you should know," she said, a faint flush appearing under her freckles. "Faith and I have decided to start dating."

Buffy's eyes darkened. There was no surprise there, but Faith could read unmistakable anger. The blond leaned one elbow on the island and regarded the two of them in silence for a moment. "Do you really think that's smart, Will?"

The witch frowned and put her arms around Faith's neck in an almost protective gesture. "I don't see why not."

"No? Do the words 'Mayor Wilkins' not ring a bell? Or how about 'convicted felon?'" Buffy shot Faith a glower. "I don't object to giving her a chance to show us whether she's capable of not going off the deep end, Willow, but this is just stupid. She's not stable."

"Sittin' right here, B," the dark Slayer growled. "You got somethin' t' say, you say it to me."

"I think I just did." The blond's eyes narrowed. "I told you when you first got here that I'd better not see any sign of your old tricks, Faith. I told you to stay away from my family and my friends. What part of that didn't you understand?"

Faith glared at her. "I ain't hurtin' anybody," she said. "The datin' thing's between Red an' me, B. It's got nothin' to do with you."

Buffy started up from her seat. "She's my best friend," she hissed. "It has everything to do with me, Faith Lehane!"

"_Separate!"_ As the blond started forward, Willow's voice rang out. A blast of invisible force slammed Buffy back against her barstool. The blond Slayer staggered and nearly fell to the floor. Faith turned to look at her lover, startled - the redhead's face was flushed with anger. "Knock it off, you two," the witch snapped. "Goddess, whenever you're around each other, it's like cave-Slayers. Could we grow up for a minute here?"

The dark Slayer fell silent. Buffy resumed her seat with a grumpy look. "Sorry, Will," she muttered.

"Okay." The redhead was still pouting slightly as she slipped her arm back around Faith's shoulders. "Buffy, you _are_ my best friend. That's why I wanted you to be the first to know. You're always the first to know when there's a new woman in my life," she said. "But I wasn't telling you because I needed your permission."

The blond lowered her eyes to the countertop. Her face was pale and set, and her eyes were still dark with anger. Faith sighed at the sight. She put her arm around Willow, tugged her closer, and kissed her cheek. "Hey, babe, d'you think you could give us a minute alone?" she asked quietly. "I think B an' I need to hammer this out."

The witch gave both of them a very stern look. "Okay," she said. "But if either of you start with the punching, I'm going to have to get tough. No fists! Words only. Got it?"

Buffy sighed. "Got it, Will. Ixnay on the cave Slayers. Cross my heart." She drew an X on her chest with her forefinger. Faith merely shrugged and nodded. With one final, warning, look, Willow kissed the dark Slayer's cheek and retreated from the room, leaving the two Slayers alone with each other.

There was a long silence. Faith's momentary anger had drained away. Now she just felt awkward, and maybe even a little ashamed. She cleared her throat after a while, still playing unconsciously with the remains of her Danish. "I ain't gonna hurt her, B," she said hoarsely.

The blond rose abruptly from her seat and moved over to the counter where the coffee fixings were still laid out. She began to fix herself a cup of espresso. Her movements were quick and jerky. "I wish I could believe that, Faith," Buffy said tightly. "But you always told me yourself what your ideas about sex and relationships were. 'Get some, get gone,' I think you said. Well, Willow isn't like that."

"I know." Faith's voice was soft. "Red's special."

"Yes. She is. But is she special to you?" The blond turned back to her fellow Slayer and set her cup down hard enough to splash some of the caramel liquid onto the island's smooth surface. Her hazel eyes bored into Faith's. "Willow's been my best friend for more than twenty years. I've watched her go through some serious hell in relationships. I don't want to see it happen again. Hurt her, and I _will _hurt you."

Faith rested her chin on her hand and arched a brow. "Uh, B, no offense, but I'm pretty sure Red can handle her own hurtin'," she said. "From what I hear, she's got more zappin' power than a city power plant."

"She does." Buffy leaned forward, reached out, and grasped Faith's collar in a deceptively strong grip. "But Willow loves deeply," she said, her voice low and intense. "She gives herself completely. If you hurt her, she won't touch you - she'll collapse into a broken, bloody little heap, and I'll be the one who has to see her like that. That's why, Faith. She'll care too much to give you what you deserve." A beat. "I won't." The dark Slayer couldn't help but swallow at the threat in the blond's expression. "Now spill it. What are you up to with her?"

"I ain't 'up to' anythin'," Faith said. "We been hangin' out. I like bein' with her. We have fun together. An' she's hot, y'know? An'..." Faith almost winced at the hostility that now gleamed in Buffy's eyes. The brunette sighed again. "She gets me," she said. "I get her. We...understand each other, B. That ain't somethin' either of us finds a lot."

"You understand her?" Contempt and disbelief warred in Buffy's tone.

"Yeah, B," Faith said quietly. "It's different for you. You've always been the superhero, the legend. It's different for us mortals, a'right? It's different for folks who fuck up an' hafta pay for it, an' hafta fight tooth an' nail every day just to learn how t' be decent people again. We get each other. That ain't somethin' you can understand unless you live it."

Buffy bared her teeth angrily. "You're comparing what you did to her?" she cried. "I can't believe you! Willow is nothing like you, Faith - nothing. She's brave and sweet and loyal to a fault, and you...you're a traitor, a murderer."

The dark Slayer's gaze fell under Buffy's. "Ain't gonna argue about it, B," she said, her voice low. "You asked, an' I answered. That's all."

There was another long silence. Buffy released Faith's shirt front abruptly and stepped away, wiping her hand on her pant leg as if to clean the dark Slayer's essence from it. "I can't stop Willow from doing this," she said evenly. "I wish I could, but I can't. She makes her own decisions." Faith's jaw worked. "I won't stand in your way. But don't forget, Faith. I don't make idle threats. If you hurt her, I'm going to make you wish you'd never been born."

"Okay," Faith said quietly.

The blond glowered at her wordlessly for a few moments more. "I need some air," she said finally. "Tell Willow that I'll call and we'll talk later." Faith nodded in silence. Buffy turned away and strode out of the house, leaving the dark Slayer sitting alone with an abandoned espresso cup.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Life had settled into a very nice routine for Faith. She'd been living with Willow for a little over three months now, and dating her for almost eight weeks of that. Her training with Dawn had been going very well. The meth-dealing operation had grown to encompass fourteen dealers in six different vampire clubs and a couple of demon-run bars, and was raking in money hand over fist. Even Faith's relations with Buffy had been running fairly smoothly, since they had worked together to take out a few nests of vampires, and found that the two of them still fought with incredible synergy. The blond Slayer had stopped making cutting comments. Faith was hopeful that they might even be friends sometime.

And, of course, there was Willow. Willow, Willow, Willow...Faith felt her mouth curve into a goofy grin.

Faith had never had a real relationship before. In fact, she'd pretty much never slept with the same person twice before this. But if this was what a relationship was like, she wished that she'd tried it sooner. She was almost deliriously happy. The little witch was everything she'd ever wanted - beautiful, classy, funny, passionate, and an absolute tigress between the sheets. Faith was undeniably smitten. _Matter of fact,_ she thought ruefully, _think I might be in love_.

Warm breath against Faith's cheek called her back to reality. "Baby," came Willow's half-amused, half-annoyed whisper, "not in front of the guests."

They were sitting together on Willow's couch, facing Buffy and Dawn, who were comfortably ensconced in armchairs. The dark Slayer realized that her arm had crept around her girlfriend's body, and was resting very low on her hips, nearly at the seat of her jeans. Faith smirked and turned to look into Willow's eyes, which were still at very close quarters to her own. "Why not?" she whispered back. "Ain't like they don't know what we do together, wicked witch."

"Faith." Willow's cheeks colored prettily. "Later, okay?"

"Promise, lover?" Faith gave her most smoldering look. She could see Willow's chest begin to move a bit faster as her breathing shortened.

"Hey, c'mon, you two. Get a room." Dawn's blithe voice broke in. "We're having a serious conversation here."

Willow blushed to the roots of her hair. Faith, however, was wholly unrepentant. She tugged the witch into her lap and wrapped her arms securely around her waist, resting her chin on Willow's shoulder. She smirked in Dawn's direction. "Sorry, Miss Summers," she said cheerfully. "What were ya sayin'?"

"Wench." Willow rubbed at her scarlet face. "I'm sorry, Dawn. Go ahead, I'm listening."

The youngest Summers gave them a reproachful but somewhat indulgent look. "As I was saying," she said, "Buffy got attacked by four vampires last night. Magic users. It looks like they might be connected to that group that was taking your pictures a couple months ago, Faith."

Faith was still much more interested in the slim woman on her lap than in the antics of a nest of ineffectual magic-using bloodsuckers. She slid her fingers up under the hem of Willow's shirt and gave her belly a very subtle caress. "Oh, yeah. Them Santa vamps?" she said.

Willow slapped her hand. "That's Santeria," she growled. "Now stop it, you. This is serious." Faith pouted, but subsided. "I guess we could assume that they're connected, Dawn. Vampire witches aren't all that common. Do we have proof, though?"

"Not exactly proof. But they were wearing binding runes around their necks - same ones we saw painted on the floor in that nest. And there are kind of a lot of binding runes in the world. It'd be a big coincidence." Dawn shook her head. "I'm pretty sure it's the same group. And they went after Buffy, just like they did before."

Buffy was sitting slouched in the chair, her head resting on her hand. She'd cut and bleached her hair, Faith noticed - it was feathered and about shoulder-length, and glistened platinum blond. In the afternoon sunlight, it gave her a beautiful, angelic appearance. The dark Slayer's breath caught at the sight. Then she winced slightly and glanced at her lover. Willow didn't seem to have noticed. "Two thousand Slayers in the world now," Buffy grumbled, "and the stupid vampires still have to come after me. You'd think they'd get the memo."

"How'd you get away, B?" Faith asked curiously, cocking her head. She was remembering how unexpected the blast of magic had been when she'd been hit with it.

"Dodged." Buffy shrugged and played idly with a little model dragon on a side table. "Staked them. Went home for a low-fat yogurt and called Dawn." Her hazel eyes flicked up to find Willow's. "Dawn seems to think there's more, and they might be an actual threat or something. A big bad."

"Yeah?" The witch's brow creased. "How come, Dawnie? I mean, yeah, vampire - always kind of a threat. But these guys don't seem to have done much real damage."

"It's just a feeling." Dawn's voice was quiet. "I can't really explain it, Willow. I just..." She shrugged helplessly. "The level of dark power in the city's picked up. I can feel it. And I think Buffy and Faith are in real danger."

Willow bit her lip thoughtfully. "Well, I've noticed that power thing, too," she said slowly. "But that can mean a lot of things, Dawnie. I mean, it'll be Samhain in less than two months, and you know every witch in town's gearing up for that. Preparation of rituals, getting magical supplies ready, that kind of thing. Plus this is a Hellmouth, and power can just fluctuate sometimes."

The youngest Summers shook her head. "This is something else. I can tell the difference." She looked from Faith to Buffy. "Have either of you felt anything? Any Slayer dreams?"

"Nope," Faith said promptly. "Haven't had a Slayer dream since before I got sprung from the slammer."

Buffy looked thoughtful. "I did have one last week," she said. "But it was really confused, and I couldn't remember much of it when I woke up. All I remember is a bunch of people in monk robes running around killing each other, and there was screaming, and a lot of blood...oh, and a little girl with black hair. She looked sort of southern European." She shrugged. "It might not even have been a Slayer dream."

"Monk robes?" Dawn looked stricken. "They...they didn't look like scabby hobbits, did they? Or...have their eyes stitched shut?"

The blond Slayer laid a hand on her younger sister's arm and gave her a gentle smile. "No Bringers, Dawnie. And they weren't anything like Glory's guys, either. I would have told you. They were just men and women running around in robes."

The witch gave her lover's hand a gentle squeeze. "Well, we don't really have anything new, then. Unless something else weird has been happening during patrols...?"

"Nothin' for me," Faith said. "Couple vamps, a demon or two. Same ol'."

Buffy shook her head. "Me, either," she said. "It's been pretty run-of-the-mill. Even the guys in that drug ring that Faith told us about were just ordinary, scuzzy vampires. No vast conspiracies or impending Apocalypses. They weren't even elder vampires. The only unusual thing I've seen is these spell-flinging guys. Pretty sure Naphu and Justin haven't seen anything weird either." Her cell phone rang just then. She glanced at it, then answered it, shooting a mumbled apology to the others in the room.

Dawn scowled and fidgeted in her chair. "There's something out there," she grumbled. "I can feel it. There's just got to be a way we can go out there and find out what it is."

"Maybe we could try to figure out what kind of energy it is that you're sensing?" Willow suggested. "If we knew that, we could do some kind of a locator spell and get a sense of where this, uh...whatever it is, is. Or we could try a reveal spell, and maybe find out what it is first, before we try to find it."

"That's the thing. I don't know," Dawn said, looking frustrated. "It happens like this sometimes, Willow. I just...I just _know_ things, or I feel them, and I don't know how I know them, or what it is exactly that I'm picking up on. So then I don't know what to do, and things just happen anyway, and what if Buffy and Faith get hurt?" Her eyes filled with tears. "Willow..."

The witch quickly abandoned her seat in her lover's lap to hug the younger woman. "It's okay," she said gently. "It's all right, cutie. We'll figure this out. Don't worry, okay? We won't let anyone hurt our Slayers."

"Hey! Sittin' right here, ladies." Faith scowled. Willow shot her a sweet little mischievous smile.

Buffy put her phone away. "That was Angel," she said. "He's got something he thinks we should see. He's on his way here." She glanced apologetically at the witch. "I hope you don't mind, Will."

"No. No, that's fine." Willow resumed her seat in Faith's lap and leaned back against her with a sigh as the Slayer's arms encompassed her. "Did he say what it was about?"

"No. He just said that Gunn and Wesley came across something when they were dealing with a case of their own, and passed it on to him." Buffy shrugged. She got up and moved over to the window, gazing out of it. "He should be here soon."

Once again, the California sunlight was catching her hair, the strands as pale and fine as spun gold. Faith felt a lump rising in her throat at the sight. She couldn't help it. _God, she's so beautiful, an' I've wanted her so bad for so long, an' it'll never happen._ The dark Slayer closed her eyes and rested her face against her lover's shoulder. Willow's clean scent - a mixture of strawberry body wash, assorted magical herbs, and an indefinable essence that was just Willow - filled her nostrils. Faith breathed it deeply and felt comforted. _If I'da had B, I'd've never been with Red,_ she told herself. _An' my Red's fuckin' awesome. So quit bein' an asshat._

Hands gently stroked hers where they rested against Willow's trim belly. "You okay, baby?" the witch asked softly, peering back at her.

"Yeah," Faith said huskily. "Was just thinkin'. You're gorgeous, y'know that?" Willow beamed with pleasure at the compliment and rewarded her with a kiss on her lips.

Angel arrived a few minutes later. They let him in, and he produced a thumb drive. "Here," he said, handing it to Willow. "This is what we've got. Just pull up those .gif files, and I'll explain them." The vampire glanced at Buffy and smiled his small, enigmatic smile. "Hello, Buffy."

The blond looked back with a tiny grin that didn't reach her reserved hazel eyes. "Hey," she said softly.

Faith leaned over Willow's shoulder as the witch pulled the files up on her laptop. Dawn peered curiously at the screen from the other side. There were several photos on the thumb drive. One was of the front of an office building, a window of which had been circled in red. There was a series of five pictures of a group of men entering the same building. They were dressed in black robes which were belted at the waist. There was no sign of anyone carrying swords or wearing armor. The last picture was of what looked like a middle school student. She was walking through a door. The camera had captured her at three-quarter profile. She was a pretty little thing with a dusky complexion, black hair, and eyes so dark they looked black. "Italian blood," Faith muttered. "You can tell by the nose."

"Couldn't she be Greek, or maybe Hispanic?" Willow wondered. "They kind of look like that sometimes."

"Nah. Italian. I'd lay bets on it." Faith smirked.

Angel cleared his throat and looked over at Buffy, who was leaning in the doorway and looking bored. "You coming? I'll explain the pictures to all of you at once." He flicked the office building to a full-screen view as the blond Slayer joined them in peering at the images. "This is the office we found," he said. "Wesley and Gunn are investigating an accounting firm in the same building that we think's funnelling money into a demon organization that...well, anyway, that's irrelevant. We found these guys by accident." He flicked to the next picture, one of the ones of the men in robes. "Vampires," he said succinctly.

Dawn poked her sister. "Hey, Buffy - robes. Are those the same kind as in your dream?"

The blond squinted at the screen. "I don't know," she said. "My memory's kind of fuzzy. They were dark robes. Might be the same. I can't really tell."

"We sent Illyria in there later," Angel said. "She said she could sense some residual magic around that office. That made me think of the vampire who attacked you, Faith." He glanced at the dark Slayer. "There may be a connection, or there may be no connection. I don't know. You've got all the information we do now." He flicked to the final picture, the one of the young girl. "This young woman is connected to them somehow. We don't really know how. She never goes in or out with them, but we know they meet together sometimes."

A strangled noise from Buffy made all of them stop and look at her. She was staring at the picture as if she'd seen a ghost. She pointed at it with a trembling finger. "Dawn, that's the girl in my dream," she said. "The dream with all the blood and stuff."

There was silence for a moment. "Well," Willow said, "if this girl's bad enough to make the Slayer dreams, I guess that means we'd better break into that office and take care of this little problem ASAP."

The vampire nodded quietly. "I would offer my help, but I can't," he said. "We've got too much going on right now. Is it all right if I leave this one up to the Council?" He looked from Buffy to Willow.

"It's fine," Buffy said quietly. "Thanks, Angel."

He tapped the thumb drive. As he did, Faith caught sight of the golden ring on his finger. It contained the stone that, according to Willow, allowed the souled vampire to walk in the sunlight. Faith studied it for a moment in fascination before returning her attention to the conversation. "There's a text file on there with the address of the place, the times that we've noticed they usually meet there, and a couple of aerial schematics of the city to help you figure out how you want to hit it," he said, looking at Willow. "That's all we've got." The witch nodded slowly. He gave them all an apologetic look. "I have to go," he said. "I'm on my way somewhere. Sorry to just drop this and run, but..."

"It's okay, Angel." Buffy took his arm and began to walk him to the door. "Thanks for everything. Listen, have you..." Her voice lowered and became inaudible as they retreated.

Faith looked at Willow, lifting a brow slightly. "There somethin' still goin' on between those two?" she asked under her breath. "Just wonderin'. I mean, I know B's married an' all, but they seem pretty cosy."

"They're good friends," Willow said quietly. "And if Angel wasn't a vampire...who knows? But he is, and the curse is what it is, so no. Buffy's with Brian, and she's Hope's mom, and I'm pretty sure both of them have accepted things the way they are." She gazed at the Slayer for a moment, then leaned over to kiss Faith's nose. "You're cute."

"Hey!" Faith protested. "What'd I do to deserve that?"

"Nothing. You're just cute." Willow's eyes sparkled gently. She placed a soft kiss on Faith's lips and turned away as Buffy returned. Faith watched as her tender lover disappeared, replaced by the businesslike Watcher. "Okay, Dawn, Buffy - let's call Justin and Naphu and get them over here. We need to decide what we're going to do about this."


	16. Chapter 16

"Faith?"

The Slayer was suddenly aware of the presence of sunlight. It was very unwelcome at the moment, since she had been sound asleep up until about three seconds ago, and wanted to stay that way. She gave an incoherent grumble, rolled over, and pulled a fold of her blanket up over her face. This took care of the offending sunlight. Satisfied, she let herself sink back down toward blissful unconsciousness.

A soft hand touched her arm. "Faith?" came a tentative voice. "Are you awake?"

_...And that's what woke me up. Damn it!_ Faith's mind was full of cobwebs, but she was awake enough to be very irritated. She groggily tugged the blanket down from her face and opened one eye to glare at the intruder. A contrite-looking Willow was leaning over her. Faith growled at her. "What?"

"I'm sorry to wake you up, baby," the witch said gently, bending down to kiss her cheek. "I know you've only had six hours of sleep. But it's almost time for Buffy to get here, and I'd rather you be there when I tell her, okay?"

"Grmph." The Slayer rolled over again, turning her back to her lover. "Go 'way."

A slim body slipped down to rest on top of Faith's, and she felt soft lips nibbling at the side of her neck. "Come on, baby," Willow coaxed. "You have to be there. It's about both of us, isn't it? We should both do it." The witch covered the side of Faith's face with gentle kisses. Faith grumbled again. "C'mon, sweetie. Get up. I'll give you espresso and everything, I promise."

"Ugh." The Slayer turned her head to glower at her lover. "Why'd she hafta come over now? Doesn't she sleep durin' the damn day like a regular Slayer? She's just doin' it to fuck with me, ain't she?"

"No. She has to pick up Hope from school today, and then she's busy until patrol time. This is the only time today Buffy could fit it in." Willow stroked her grumpy lover's hair and kissed her forehead. "Come on now, baby. Come downstairs and drink some espresso and wake yourself up."

The Slayer reluctantly sat up. "Yeah, great," she grumbled, fumbling around on the floor for her jeans. "Gotta make sure I'm conscious before B kicks my ass for datin' you."

"She's not going to kick your ass." Willow gave her an affectionate look. "Even if she's upset about it, she wouldn't just beat on you, Faith."

The dark-haired woman paused in the act of putting on her t-shirt to cock an eyebrow at her lover. "An' you've known B how long?"

"Faith," Willow said, exasperated. "Come on, now."

"Yeah, yeah, B's a goddess, Buffy's great, Saint Elizabeth of fuckin' Sunnydale, blah blah blah." Faith buttoned her jeans and hunted around for a missing sock. "Just don't say I didn't warn ya. She's gonna beat the hell outta me. Even if she don't actually hit me." Willow just sighed.

A double shot of espresso in some warmed milk improved Faith's mood a little. She dug through the cupboards in search of jelly Danish, located some, and returned to her coffee with her pastries. Willow snitched one of them and nibbled on it. There was silence for a few minutes. "Hey, Faith?" The Slayer grunted and looked up at her. "Out of curiosity, where'd you get the Harley? Those are kind of expensive, aren't they?"

Faith took a large bite of Danish and washed it down with the last of her beverage. "Boss gave it to me," she said indifferently. "Kind of a company car deal."

"Wow. Really?" Willow blinked. "That's pretty awesome, Faith."

"Boss likes me." Faith shrugged and gave her lover a cocky little smirk. "It ain't really mine. If I got fired, I'd hafta give it back." _Little white lies. Better change the subject_. "So when's B gonna get here?" She glanced at the clock - it was almost noon.

A car door slammed. "That's probably her now," Willow said, getting up. She dropped a quick kiss on Faith's cheek as she went past her toward the front door. The Slayer remained where she was, munching sullenly on her second jelly Danish. However optimistic Willow might have been about this, Faith very much doubted that Buffy was going to be very understanding. At best, the blond Slayer had been polite and professional to Faith - at worst, she'd threatened to tear her to pieces. Faith highly doubted that Buffy was about to congratulate and throw them a party.

Voices. "Hey, Buff," came Willow's cheerful greeting. "Thanks for coming."

"Hi, Will." Buffy sounded amiable. "Thanks for inviting me. We haven't had hang-out time in ages."

"I know. We really should schedule in more Scooby timeslots." Footsteps. "C'mon into the kitchen. Faith and I were just having Danish and espresso stuff. Would you like some?"

Faith looked up as the two women entered the kitchen. She saluted Buffy solemnly with her half-eaten Danish. "Mornin', B," she said. "Got a cherry an' a lemon one left."

"No, thanks." Buffy's expression was reserved as she looked at her fellow Slayer. "I already had something before I left home." Then her eyes flicked back to Willow. "So, what's up?" she asked, perching herself on the barstool nearest where the witch was standing. "It sounded like you had something to tell me when you called."

"Heh. Straight to the point, huh? No beat-around-the-bush Buffy." Willow smiled nervously. She slipped over to where Faith was toying with the remains of her Danish and laid a hand on the dark Slayer's shoulder. "Well, I figured you should know," she said, a faint flush appearing under her freckles. "Faith and I have decided to start dating."

Buffy's eyes darkened. There was no surprise there, but Faith could read unmistakable anger. The blond leaned one elbow on the island and regarded the two of them in silence for a moment. "Do you really think that's smart, Will?"

The witch frowned and put her arms around Faith's neck in an almost protective gesture. "I don't see why not."

"No? Do the words 'Mayor Wilkins' not ring a bell? Or how about 'convicted felon?'" Buffy shot Faith a glower. "I don't object to giving her a chance to show us whether she's capable of not going off the deep end, Willow, but this is just stupid. She's not stable."

"Sittin' right here, B," the dark Slayer growled. "You got somethin' t' say, you say it to me."

"I think I just did." The blond's eyes narrowed. "I told you when you first got here that I'd better not see any sign of your old tricks, Faith. I told you to stay away from my family and my friends. What part of that didn't you understand?"

Faith glared at her. "I ain't hurtin' anybody," she said. "The datin' thing's between Red an' me, B. It's got nothin' to do with you."

Buffy started up from her seat. "She's my best friend," she hissed. "It has everything to do with me, Faith Lehane!"

"_Separate!"_ As the blond started forward, Willow's voice rang out. A blast of invisible force slammed Buffy back against her barstool. The blond Slayer staggered and nearly fell to the floor. Faith turned to look at her lover, startled - the redhead's face was flushed with anger. "Knock it off, you two," the witch snapped. "Goddess, whenever you're around each other, it's like cave-Slayers. Could we grow up for a minute here?"

The dark Slayer fell silent. Buffy resumed her seat with a grumpy look. "Sorry, Will," she muttered.

"Okay." The redhead was still pouting slightly as she slipped her arm back around Faith's shoulders. "Buffy, you _are_ my best friend. That's why I wanted you to be the first to know. You're always the first to know when there's a new woman in my life," she said. "But I wasn't telling you because I needed your permission."

The blond lowered her eyes to the countertop. Her face was pale and set, and her eyes were still dark with anger. Faith sighed at the sight. She put her arm around Willow, tugged her closer, and kissed her cheek. "Hey, babe, d'you think you could give us a minute alone?" she asked quietly. "I think B an' I need to hammer this out."

The witch gave both of them a very stern look. "Okay," she said. "But if either of you start with the punching, I'm going to have to get tough. No fists! Words only. Got it?"

Buffy sighed. "Got it, Will. Ixnay on the cave Slayers. Cross my heart." She drew an X on her chest with her forefinger. Faith merely shrugged and nodded. With one final, warning, look, Willow kissed the dark Slayer's cheek and retreated from the room, leaving the two Slayers alone with each other.

There was a long silence. Faith's momentary anger had drained away. Now she just felt awkward, and maybe even a little ashamed. She cleared her throat after a while, still playing unconsciously with the remains of her Danish. "I ain't gonna hurt her, B," she said hoarsely.

The blond rose abruptly from her seat and moved over to the counter where the coffee fixings were still laid out. She began to fix herself a cup of espresso. Her movements were quick and jerky. "I wish I could believe that, Faith," Buffy said tightly. "But you always told me yourself what your ideas about sex and relationships were. 'Get some, get gone,' I think you said. Well, Willow isn't like that."

"I know." Faith's voice was soft. "Red's special."

"Yes. She is. But is she special to you?" The blond turned back to her fellow Slayer and set her cup down hard enough to splash some of the caramel liquid onto the island's smooth surface. Her hazel eyes bored into Faith's. "Willow's been my best friend for more than twenty years. I've watched her go through some serious hell in relationships. I don't want to see it happen again. Hurt her, and I _will _hurt you."

Faith rested her chin on her hand and arched a brow. "Uh, B, no offense, but I'm pretty sure Red can handle her own hurtin'," she said. "From what I hear, she's got more zappin' power than a city power plant."

"She does." Buffy leaned forward, reached out, and grasped Faith's collar in a deceptively strong grip. "But Willow loves deeply," she said, her voice low and intense. "She gives herself completely. If you hurt her, she won't touch you - she'll collapse into a broken, bloody little heap, and I'll be the one who has to see her like that. That's why, Faith. She'll care too much to give you what you deserve." A beat. "I won't." The dark Slayer couldn't help but swallow at the threat in the blond's expression. "Now spill it. What are you up to with her?"

"I ain't 'up to' anythin'," Faith said. "We been hangin' out. I like bein' with her. We have fun together. An' she's hot, y'know? An'..." Faith almost winced at the hostility that now gleamed in Buffy's eyes. The brunette sighed again. "She gets me," she said. "I get her. We...understand each other, B. That ain't somethin' either of us finds a lot."

"You understand her?" Contempt and disbelief warred in Buffy's tone.

"Yeah, B," Faith said quietly. "It's different for you. You've always been the superhero, the legend. It's different for us mortals, a'right? It's different for folks who fuck up an' hafta pay for it, an' hafta fight tooth an' nail every day just to learn how t' be decent people again. We get each other. That ain't somethin' you can understand unless you live it."

Buffy bared her teeth angrily. "You're comparing what you did to her?" she cried. "I can't believe you! Willow is nothing like you, Faith - nothing. She's brave and sweet and loyal to a fault, and you...you're a traitor, a murderer."

The dark Slayer's gaze fell under Buffy's. "Ain't gonna argue about it, B," she said, her voice low. "You asked, an' I answered. That's all."

There was another long silence. Buffy released Faith's shirt front abruptly and stepped away, wiping her hand on her pant leg as if to clean the dark Slayer's essence from it. "I can't stop Willow from doing this," she said evenly. "I wish I could, but I can't. She makes her own decisions." Faith's jaw worked. "I won't stand in your way. But don't forget, Faith. I don't make idle threats. If you hurt her, I'm going to make you wish you'd never been born."

"Okay," Faith said quietly.

The blond glowered at her wordlessly for a few moments more. "I need some air," she said finally. "Tell Willow that I'll call and we'll talk later." Faith nodded in silence. Buffy turned away and strode out of the house, leaving the dark Slayer sitting alone with an abandoned espresso cup.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Life had settled into a very nice routine for Faith. She'd been living with Willow for a little over three months now, and dating her for almost eight weeks of that. Her training with Dawn had been going very well. The meth-dealing operation had grown to encompass fourteen dealers in six different vampire clubs and a couple of demon-run bars, and was raking in money hand over fist. Even Faith's relations with Buffy had been running fairly smoothly, since they had worked together to take out a few nests of vampires, and found that the two of them still fought with incredible synergy. The blond Slayer had stopped making cutting comments. Faith was hopeful that they might even be friends sometime.

And, of course, there was Willow. Willow, Willow, Willow...Faith felt her mouth curve into a goofy grin.

Faith had never had a real relationship before. In fact, she'd pretty much never slept with the same person twice before this. But if this was what a relationship was like, she wished that she'd tried it sooner. She was almost deliriously happy. The little witch was everything she'd ever wanted - beautiful, classy, funny, passionate, and an absolute tigress between the sheets. Faith was undeniably smitten. _Matter of fact,_ she thought ruefully, _think I might be in love_.

Warm breath against Faith's cheek called her back to reality. "Baby," came Willow's half-amused, half-annoyed whisper, "not in front of the guests."

They were sitting together on Willow's couch, facing Buffy and Dawn, who were comfortably ensconced in armchairs. The dark Slayer realized that her arm had crept around her girlfriend's body, and was resting very low on her hips, nearly at the seat of her jeans. Faith smirked and turned to look into Willow's eyes, which were still at very close quarters to her own. "Why not?" she whispered back. "Ain't like they don't know what we do together, wicked witch."

"Faith." Willow's cheeks colored prettily. "Later, okay?"

"Promise, lover?" Faith gave her most smoldering look. She could see Willow's chest begin to move a bit faster as her breathing shortened.

"Hey, c'mon, you two. Get a room." Dawn's blithe voice broke in. "We're having a serious conversation here."

Willow blushed to the roots of her hair. Faith, however, was wholly unrepentant. She tugged the witch into her lap and wrapped her arms securely around her waist, resting her chin on Willow's shoulder. She smirked in Dawn's direction. "Sorry, Miss Summers," she said cheerfully. "What were ya sayin'?"

"Wench." Willow rubbed at her scarlet face. "I'm sorry, Dawn. Go ahead, I'm listening."

The youngest Summers gave them a reproachful but somewhat indulgent look. "As I was saying," she said, "Buffy got attacked by four vampires last night. Magic users. It looks like they might be connected to that group that was taking your pictures a couple months ago, Faith."

Faith was still much more interested in the slim woman on her lap than in the antics of a nest of ineffectual magic-using bloodsuckers. She slid her fingers up under the hem of Willow's shirt and gave her belly a very subtle caress. "Oh, yeah. Them Santa vamps?" she said.

Willow slapped her hand. "That's Santeria," she growled. "Now stop it, you. This is serious." Faith pouted, but subsided. "I guess we could assume that they're connected, Dawn. Vampire witches aren't all that common. Do we have proof, though?"

"Not exactly proof. But they were wearing binding runes around their necks - same ones we saw painted on the floor in that nest. And there are kind of a lot of binding runes in the world. It'd be a big coincidence." Dawn shook her head. "I'm pretty sure it's the same group. And they went after Buffy, just like they did before."

Buffy was sitting slouched in the chair, her head resting on her hand. She'd cut and bleached her hair, Faith noticed - it was feathered and about shoulder-length, and glistened platinum blond. In the afternoon sunlight, it gave her a beautiful, angelic appearance. The dark Slayer's breath caught at the sight. Then she winced slightly and glanced at her lover. Willow didn't seem to have noticed. "Two thousand Slayers in the world now," Buffy grumbled, "and the stupid vampires still have to come after me. You'd think they'd get the memo."

"How'd you get away, B?" Faith asked curiously, cocking her head. She was remembering how unexpected the blast of magic had been when she'd been hit with it.

"Dodged." Buffy shrugged and played idly with a little model dragon on a side table. "Staked them. Went home for a low-fat yogurt and called Dawn." Her hazel eyes flicked up to find Willow's. "Dawn seems to think there's more, and they might be an actual threat or something. A big bad."

"Yeah?" The witch's brow creased. "How come, Dawnie? I mean, yeah, vampire - always kind of a threat. But these guys don't seem to have done much real damage."

"It's just a feeling." Dawn's voice was quiet. "I can't really explain it, Willow. I just..." She shrugged helplessly. "The level of dark power in the city's picked up. I can feel it. And I think Buffy and Faith are in real danger."

Willow bit her lip thoughtfully. "Well, I've noticed that power thing, too," she said slowly. "But that can mean a lot of things, Dawnie. I mean, it'll be Samhain in less than two months, and you know every witch in town's gearing up for that. Preparation of rituals, getting magical supplies ready, that kind of thing. Plus this is a Hellmouth, and power can just fluctuate sometimes."

The youngest Summers shook her head. "This is something else. I can tell the difference." She looked from Faith to Buffy. "Have either of you felt anything? Any Slayer dreams?"

"Nope," Faith said promptly. "Haven't had a Slayer dream since before I got sprung from the slammer."

Buffy looked thoughtful. "I did have one last week," she said. "But it was really confused, and I couldn't remember much of it when I woke up. All I remember is a bunch of people in monk robes running around killing each other, and there was screaming, and a lot of blood...oh, and a little girl with black hair. She looked sort of southern European." She shrugged. "It might not even have been a Slayer dream."

"Monk robes?" Dawn looked stricken. "They...they didn't look like scabby hobbits, did they? Or...have their eyes stitched shut?"

The blond Slayer laid a hand on her younger sister's arm and gave her a gentle smile. "No Bringers, Dawnie. And they weren't anything like Glory's guys, either. I would have told you. They were just men and women running around in robes."

The witch gave her lover's hand a gentle squeeze. "Well, we don't really have anything new, then. Unless something else weird has been happening during patrols...?"

"Nothin' for me," Faith said. "Couple vamps, a demon or two. Same ol'."

Buffy shook her head. "Me, either," she said. "It's been pretty run-of-the-mill. Even the guys in that drug ring that Faith told us about were just ordinary, scuzzy vampires. No vast conspiracies or impending Apocalypses. They weren't even elder vampires. The only unusual thing I've seen is these spell-flinging guys. Pretty sure Naphu and Justin haven't seen anything weird either." Her cell phone rang just then. She glanced at it, then answered it, shooting a mumbled apology to the others in the room.

Dawn scowled and fidgeted in her chair. "There's something out there," she grumbled. "I can feel it. There's just got to be a way we can go out there and find out what it is."

"Maybe we could try to figure out what kind of energy it is that you're sensing?" Willow suggested. "If we knew that, we could do some kind of a locator spell and get a sense of where this, uh...whatever it is, is. Or we could try a reveal spell, and maybe find out what it is first, before we try to find it."

"That's the thing. I don't know," Dawn said, looking frustrated. "It happens like this sometimes, Willow. I just...I just _know_ things, or I feel them, and I don't know how I know them, or what it is exactly that I'm picking up on. So then I don't know what to do, and things just happen anyway, and what if Buffy and Faith get hurt?" Her eyes filled with tears. "Willow..."

The witch quickly abandoned her seat in her lover's lap to hug the younger woman. "It's okay," she said gently. "It's all right, cutie. We'll figure this out. Don't worry, okay? We won't let anyone hurt our Slayers."

"Hey! Sittin' right here, ladies." Faith scowled. Willow shot her a sweet little mischievous smile.

Buffy put her phone away. "That was Angel," she said. "He's got something he thinks we should see. He's on his way here." She glanced apologetically at the witch. "I hope you don't mind, Will."

"No. No, that's fine." Willow resumed her seat in Faith's lap and leaned back against her with a sigh as the Slayer's arms encompassed her. "Did he say what it was about?"

"No. He just said that Gunn and Wesley came across something when they were dealing with a case of their own, and passed it on to him." Buffy shrugged. She got up and moved over to the window, gazing out of it. "He should be here soon."

Once again, the California sunlight was catching her hair, the strands as pale and fine as spun gold. Faith felt a lump rising in her throat at the sight. She couldn't help it. _God, she's so beautiful, an' I've wanted her so bad for so long, an' it'll never happen._ The dark Slayer closed her eyes and rested her face against her lover's shoulder. Willow's clean scent - a mixture of strawberry body wash, assorted magical herbs, and an indefinable essence that was just Willow - filled her nostrils. Faith breathed it deeply and felt comforted. _If I'da had B, I'd've never been with Red,_ she told herself. _An' my Red's fuckin' awesome. So quit bein' an asshat._

Hands gently stroked hers where they rested against Willow's trim belly. "You okay, baby?" the witch asked softly, peering back at her.

"Yeah," Faith said huskily. "Was just thinkin'. You're gorgeous, y'know that?" Willow beamed with pleasure at the compliment and rewarded her with a kiss on her lips.

Angel arrived a few minutes later. They let him in, and he produced a thumb drive. "Here," he said, handing it to Willow. "This is what we've got. Just pull up those .gif files, and I'll explain them." The vampire glanced at Buffy and smiled his small, enigmatic smile. "Hello, Buffy."

The blond looked back with a tiny grin that didn't reach her reserved hazel eyes. "Hey," she said softly.

Faith leaned over Willow's shoulder as the witch pulled the files up on her laptop. Dawn peered curiously at the screen from the other side. There were several photos on the thumb drive. One was of the front of an office building, a window of which had been circled in red. There was a series of five pictures of a group of men entering the same building. They were dressed in black robes which were belted at the waist. There was no sign of anyone carrying swords or wearing armor. The last picture was of what looked like a middle school student. She was walking through a door. The camera had captured her at three-quarter profile. She was a pretty little thing with a dusky complexion, black hair, and eyes so dark they looked black. "Italian blood," Faith muttered. "You can tell by the nose."

"Couldn't she be Greek, or maybe Hispanic?" Willow wondered. "They kind of look like that sometimes."

"Nah. Italian. I'd lay bets on it." Faith smirked.

Angel cleared his throat and looked over at Buffy, who was leaning in the doorway and looking bored. "You coming? I'll explain the pictures to all of you at once." He flicked the office building to a full-screen view as the blond Slayer joined them in peering at the images. "This is the office we found," he said. "Wesley and Gunn are investigating an accounting firm in the same building that we think's funnelling money into a demon organization that...well, anyway, that's irrelevant. We found these guys by accident." He flicked to the next picture, one of the ones of the men in robes. "Vampires," he said succinctly.

Dawn poked her sister. "Hey, Buffy - robes. Are those the same kind as in your dream?"

The blond squinted at the screen. "I don't know," she said. "My memory's kind of fuzzy. They were dark robes. Might be the same. I can't really tell."

"We sent Illyria in there later," Angel said. "She said she could sense some residual magic around that office. That made me think of the vampire who attacked you, Faith." He glanced at the dark Slayer. "There may be a connection, or there may be no connection. I don't know. You've got all the information we do now." He flicked to the final picture, the one of the young girl. "This young woman is connected to them somehow. We don't really know how. She never goes in or out with them, but we know they meet together sometimes."

A strangled noise from Buffy made all of them stop and look at her. She was staring at the picture as if she'd seen a ghost. She pointed at it with a trembling finger. "Dawn, that's the girl in my dream," she said. "The dream with all the blood and stuff."

There was silence for a moment. "Well," Willow said, "if this girl's bad enough to make the Slayer dreams, I guess that means we'd better break into that office and take care of this little problem ASAP."

The vampire nodded quietly. "I would offer my help, but I can't," he said. "We've got too much going on right now. Is it all right if I leave this one up to the Council?" He looked from Buffy to Willow.

"It's fine," Buffy said quietly. "Thanks, Angel."

He tapped the thumb drive. As he did, Faith caught sight of the golden ring on his finger. It contained the stone that, according to Willow, allowed the souled vampire to walk in the sunlight. Faith studied it for a moment in fascination before returning her attention to the conversation. "There's a text file on there with the address of the place, the times that we've noticed they usually meet there, and a couple of aerial schematics of the city to help you figure out how you want to hit it," he said, looking at Willow. "That's all we've got." The witch nodded slowly. He gave them all an apologetic look. "I have to go," he said. "I'm on my way somewhere. Sorry to just drop this and run, but..."

"It's okay, Angel." Buffy took his arm and began to walk him to the door. "Thanks for everything. Listen, have you..." Her voice lowered and became inaudible as they retreated.

Faith looked at Willow, lifting a brow slightly. "There somethin' still goin' on between those two?" she asked under her breath. "Just wonderin'. I mean, I know B's married an' all, but they seem pretty cosy."

"They're good friends," Willow said quietly. "And if Angel wasn't a vampire...who knows? But he is, and the curse is what it is, so no. Buffy's with Brian, and she's Hope's mom, and I'm pretty sure both of them have accepted things the way they are." She gazed at the Slayer for a moment, then leaned over to kiss Faith's nose. "You're cute."

"Hey!" Faith protested. "What'd I do to deserve that?"

"Nothing. You're just cute." Willow's eyes sparkled gently. She placed a soft kiss on Faith's lips and turned away as Buffy returned. Faith watched as her tender lover disappeared, replaced by the businesslike Watcher. "Okay, Dawn, Buffy - let's call Justin and Naphu and get them over here. We need to decide what we're going to do about this."


	17. Chapter 17

Plans had been quickly made, and now they were being carried out.

It felt so bizarre to the dark Slayer, and yet so utterly natural, to be sitting here on the top of a building in the middle of the night, feet dangling out over the street that lay hundreds of feet below, munching on candy bars together. Faith savored the melting chocolate and peanuts that lay on her tongue and looked over at Buffy. The blond woman sat at ease on the concrete sill, her cocked crossbow lying casually across her knees. She was swinging her legs like a little girl. Faith's heart ached at the sight of the relaxed half smile on Buffy's face. It was just so like the Buffy she remembered from when she'd first met her, sweet and childlike, but with all that steel beneath the surface. "This is cool, huh, B?" she murmured. "Like old times."

The blond Slayer looked at her. There was no suspicion or hostility in her expression, although there was still some caution. "Yeah," she said. "It's nice."

Faith swallowed her mouthful, turned her gaze back to the window they were watching, and sighed. "It's how it shoulda been," she said quietly. "How it woulda been, if I hadn't fucked up so bad." She didn't have to feign any of the regret in her voice.

There was silence for a while. "Well," Buffy said at last, "it's not like I helped much." Faith looked at her. The petite woman shot her a rueful look. "I did have a pretty big superiority complex at the time. You called me out on it, and you were right." She hesitated. "I was kind of a bitch to you sometimes."

"Yeah, you were. So was I." Faith shrugged. "Two-way street, dawg."

"Maybe. But I had somebody, Faith. People to support me. You really didn't." Buffy's eyes met hers. "I was pretty selfish when it came to you. And maybe if I hadn't been, I'd have been able to help you."

The dark Slayer gazed at the implacably dark window of the office. "Thing was," she said softly, "you iwere/i better than me, B. Better in just about every way. You always were. That's why it pissed me off so bad." She looked down at her own dangling feet, and then past them at the tiny cars buzzing through the streets below. "Y'know, the clink really sucked," she said. "I hated the damn place every minute I was there. But in a way, it was the best thing that coulda happened to me."

Buffy's brows lifted a touch. "Oh?"

"Yeah. Had nothin' but time," Faith murmured. "Had to look at myself." She kicked her heels against the stone. "There I was, an' everyone around me was like I was," she said. "Not Slayers...not Chosen, but like ime./i Angry, an' bitter, an' blamin' just about everyone in the world for where they were - 'cept themselves. I heard 'em all. Blamed their parents, or kids, or lawyers, or jailhouse rats, or narcs..." Faith sighed. "Realized I couldn't blame nobody for where I was, 'cept me. Nobody made my damn choices for me. I accidentally killed that first guy 'cause I was crazy an' reckless. Killed that demon an' that professor dude 'cause I chose t' be what the Mayor wanted. Chose the Mayor 'cause I just couldn't handle that you were better than me...that I was number two. Stabbed you in the back 'cause you had every damn thing I always wanted." Faith's lips curved a bit. "An' 'cause I was a goddamn stupid messed-up kid."

The blond Slayer gazed at her silently, her dark green eyes appraising. "How long did it take you to figure all that out?"

Faith chuckled without humor. "Not long, B. Knew most of it already, just didn't accept it. Like I said, stupid kid." She chewed her lower lip. "Thing is, I..." She stopped. iHow deep do I wanna go here? Not that deep. Not yet./i "I knew we were s'posed to be together," Faith said slowly. "Y'know, the Chosen Two. Had these visions of, like, Batman an' Robin, or somethin'. The Dymanic Duo. Fightin' demons, synchronized slaying, like...back to back, or side by side, or whatever the damn expression is. Sisters in arms." She paused. "But I never could let myself totally trust you, B. An' if I had, maybe it all woulda happened. Maybe I never would've betrayed you."

There was a long silence. "Faith, can I ask you something?"

The brunette looked up again. Buffy's intense eyes were fixed on hers, and her expression was grim. Faith swallowed. "Uh...sure, B. I'm an open book."

Buffy's gaze didn't waver. "Do you remember when I came to see you in your hotel room after you killed that man in the alley?"

A perceptible wince moved over Faith's features. "Yeah." Her voice was low.

The hazel eyes held hers remorselessly. "I wanted to talk to you about it that day," Buffy said. "The murder, I mean. I wanted to help you - to deal with the situation. And you wouldn't talk about it, Faith. You said that you didn't care that you'd murdered him. You said you didn't care." A beat. "Was that true?"

Another soft, completely humorless laugh shook Faith's shoulders. The dark Slayer looked down at the distant ground again. "Y'know, I ain't the best character around," she said. "I'm no saint. I've told some serious whoppers in my time. But that one there..." She shook her head. "That was probably the biggest one of my life." Buffy said nothing. "I ran," Faith whispered, still gazing sightlessly at her own feet. "After I killed 'im, I mean. I ran an' ran, and when I finally got home, my hands were...just full of blood." She shivered. "I washed 'em, and washed 'em, but I could still feel it...all slimy an' sticky, between my fingers..." She closed her eyes. "Washed my hands more that night than I ever did in my life."

"You were doing that when I came over, too. I noticed that," Buffy said.

"Yeah." Faith blinked slowly. "Y'know I never quit that washin' thing until like my third year in the slammer? Was like OCD."

Pause. "Then why'd you tell me you didn't care?" Buffy asked.

Faith's jaw clenched for a moment. "Figured I'd finally blown it all to hell," she muttered. "I saw your face in that damn alley, B. The horror an'...the disappointment, y'know? I didn't do it on purpose, but I figured it was over then. Wasn't ever gonna be what I wanted for you or anyone else. Always got told I was jailbait, an' when I killed that guy, I knew it was true. It was finally happenin'." She drew a shaky breath in through her nose. "Had my pride, though," she said softly. "If I was gonna hafta go down, I wasn't gonna let you see me cry about it."

"Faith." Buffy's voice was suddenly gentle. "It was an accident. I knew that."

"Yeah, well, the courts loved chicks like me." Faith grimaced. "Fifteen years old, already been arrested twenty-six times, convicted of b&e, carryin' concealed weapons, first-degree assault, truancy, an' God only knows what else, stabbin' a guy in an alley. Who in the hell d'you think woulda believed it was an accident?" She sighed. "An' they didn't."

Buffy closed her eyes. "I'm sorry. I should have testified for you."

"Wouldn't've mattered, B. Was a character issue. An' he wasn't my only kill, right? The other guys were sure as hell on purpose." Faith smiled at her sadly. "B'sides, think I wanted t' drag you through the mud with me? Bad enough you were there when that shit went down. Bad enough I did what I did to ya. Nah. I woulda been sent to the slammer, whatever you mighta done. Better not to involve you." She sighed. "But I'm sorry, B. I shoulda been there for you. I shoulda been there an' had your back, an' I didn't, 'cause I was sittin' in the slammer."

There was stillness for a moment. "It's okay, Faith," Buffy said quietly. "We're here now, and we're fighting together. The past is the past. Let's just move forward."

The two of them were silent for a while. Then, suddenly, the lights in the office across from them turned on. Both Slayers snapped to alertness. After a few minutes, they could see robed figures moving past the windows. Buffy touched her earpiece. "Red Mage, do you copy? Homefires are burning."

"Copy that." Willow's voice crackled in the earphones. "Chosen One, Chosen Two, stand by to fly. Magus, deploy the firecrackers. Steel and The Stake, move in. Go!" Faith and Buffy got up, lifting their prepared crossbows and taking careful aim at the building across the street. There was a long, tense pause. Then they saw several brilliant flashes of light from the windows, and dark figures could be seen running back and forth. An instant later, Faith's earpiece hissed again. "The Chosen, you are cleared for takeoff."

"Yeah, baby!" Faith whooped, firing her crossbow just as Buffy did the same. The spikes shot across the space between the buildings and embedded themselves deeply into the wall above the windows. The two Slayers quickly hitched their harnesses onto the cables they'd just strung up, and each of them drew a short sword. Faith looked at Buffy, her dark eyes gleaming with excitement. "Ready, B?"

"Yeah. Let's go." Buffy's face was full of fierce joy as they ran off the edge together and let the cables take their weight. They flew down toward the windows, angling their bodies to hit feet-first. At the last second, Faith hit the release on her harness. iCrash!/i With a shiver of broken glass, the Slayers burst through the windows and straight into the heart of the fight.

Faith didn't know how she'd managed to live for sixteen years in prison without this. The battle high surged through her - even more powerful than usual, since the blond Slayer was here with her. Faith was laughing as she planted her boot in the chest of one vampire, then swung the hilt of her short sword against another one's jaw. These ones weren't wearing armor, she noted. Instead, they wore black robes with an odd symbol embroidered over the left breast. She was spinning and ducking and fighting too quickly to get a good look at it, though. "Hey, B," she yelled, sidestepping a sword blade and kicking its owner back into a wall.

"What?" Buffy shoved her blade through the chest of the vampire Faith had just kicked. He crumbled into ash.

"Symbol - on the chest," Faith shouted. She narrowly ducked a swinging sword, twisted around the backstroke, and beheaded its wielder cleanly with one vicious swipe of her own weapon. "Need to grab one before we dust 'em all!"

"I'm on it." Buffy spun and delivered a textbook roundhouse kick into the gut of a vampire. He staggered. The blond Slayer continued to spin, letting her own momentum carry her . She caught at the front of his shirt with her right hand. There was a ripping sound. A second later, she plunged her sword to the hilt in his chest with her left - he vanished in a cloud of dust. Buffy triumphantly held up a handful of cloth.

Faith laughed delightedly. "Aw, ihell/i yeah, B. You are a fuckin' isuperhero!"/i She ducked a blow, then shoved the last vampire in the room toward her fellow Slayer. "Hey, batter up."

The blond laughed and swung her sword like a baseball bat. "Fore!" The vampire disappeared in a burst of ash.

Both of them were giggling like teenagers. They laughed until they were almost in tears. "God, B," Faith managed finally. "You gotta get your sports straight. I was talkin' baseball, not golf."

Buffy twirled her blade and sheathed it with a flourish. "Sport, shmort. I got the job done, didn't I?" she said airily. She looked down at the scrap of cloth in her fist, shrugged, and glanced over at the door. The sounds of fighting could be heard from the next room. "So, should we go help them out?"

"Eh. Why not?" The dark Slayer sheathed her sword and drew her twin stakes. "After you, Chosen One." With a smirk, Buffy drew her own stake, and the two of them burst through the door.

There were about six vampires left in the next room. Naphu and Justin were directly engaged with two of them. Dawn was savagely fighting against two more, her longsword whipping in skilful arcs around her body. Buffy leaped at once to her sister's defense, while Faith darted at the black-robed figures who weren't currently involved in battle. There was a fierce struggle for about another ten minutes. Faith's foot caught on the carpet at one point, and her opponent's blade managed to catch her in the side, just beneath her flack jacket. She snarled angrily and stabbed her adversary viciously with her stake, securing the victory.

Then the room was quiet. Panting, Faith straightened her back and wiped her damp forehead. Buffy sheathed her stake with a satisfied look, dusting off the sleeves of her black turtleneck. Faith grinned at her. Back in Sunnydale, they'd had an inside joke about how fighting left them in need of both a good meal and a roll in the hay. iHungry and horny. Heheh./i The dark Slayer smirked. "Hey, B. Hungry?"

"Starving." The two of them exchanged looks. Seeing the wicked and suggestive gleam in Faith's eye, Buffy shook her head at her, and both of them laughed.

"What's so funny?" Dawn grumbled, picking herself up off the floor.

"Nothing, Dawnie." Buffy turned to help brush her sister off. "Are you okay? You didn't get hurt, did you?"

"I'm fine." The younger Summers girl looked pointedly at Faith. "You got hit. I saw you. Are you all right, Faith?"

The dark Slayer put a hand to her side. It came away red with blood, and she grimaced. "Just a flesh wound," she said. "It is kinda bleedin', I guess, but it's cool." She looked over at Naphu, who was placidly polishing the barrel of her stake gun, and Justin, who was sitting on the floor and catching his breath. "You two a'right?"

"We are well," Naphu said crisply. She seated her gun in its holster at her hip and offered Justin her hand. With little effort, she tugged the heavily-built man to his feet. "I believe we have accomplished our objective. Shall we investigate this place?" Her dark eyes rested on Buffy with visible deference.

Buffy nodded. "Yeah. Justin, Naphu, check this office out," she said. "Snag any papers that look important." She motioned to Faith. "Call Willow. Dawnie, come and look at this thing. Does it look familiar to you?" And she held out the scrap of cloth with its odd, gold-embroidered symbol.

Faith tapped the mouthpiece on her headset to call Willow. "Yo, Red Mage, you comin' or what?" she said blithely. "Party's just about over, you'll miss the karaoke."

"Copy that. Chosen Two is a smartass." Willow sounded amused. "Be right up."

"I'm thinkin' Red Mage doesn't want Chosen Two makin' comments about asses over the airwaves," Faith responded, grinning wickedly. "'Specially since Chosen Two's got some experience in Red Mage's..."

Before she could finish her sentence, a slim hand clapped itself over her mouth. Faith's eyes twinkled as she looked up into the exasperated face of her freshly-teleported lover. Willow neatly plucked off Faith's headset and gave her a look. "You're such a bad girl," she said.

"Hey, can I help it if my lady's a smokin' hottie?" Faith smiled unrepentantly. She grasped Willow by her belt and tugged her in for an enthusiastic kiss on the lips. "I got my post-slayin' hungry on, pretty babe," she murmured into Willow's suddenly-pink ear. "You wanna help me out with that?"

"Faith." The witch was blushing furiously now. "Business before pleasure, all right?"

The dark Slayer gave her lover a dazzling, sexy grin. "Long as I get both, gorgeous." She trailed a fingertip down the open collar of Willow's shirt and let it linger at the spot where the fabric was buttoned, just beneath the woman's defined collarbone. "You gotta promise to take me somewhere after an' show me a little black magic."

The redhead captured the finger between her own and gave the tip of it a quick kiss. "Promise." Their eyes met for an intense moment. Then Willow turned to look at Buffy, who was eyeing them with a rather cool expression. "Do we have anything yet, Buff?"

"This, so far." Buffy held out her scrap of fabric. "They were wearing black robes with this symbol on them. Dawn thinks it looks familiar, but she can't remember where she's seen it before." Willow took it. She moved over to a nearby desk and spread the cloth out flat, tracing the gold lines with a fingertip. Her brow furrowed.

Dawn and Faith peered over her shoulders. It looked, to Faith, like an interlocking sun and a cross. "Do you know what it is?" the Summers girl asked. "I'm pretty sure I came across it in the library once. I seem to remember it having something to do with Rome, but I'm not sure."

Willow tapped her lower lip. "Rome," she murmured. "That does kind of ring a bell. You're right, Dawn, we've seen this before." She closed her eyes and thought furiously. "It was back when we were dealing with Darla, and we were studying up on the Order of Aurelius to see if that might tell us any weaknesses of hers," she mused. "It was in one of those books about vampire cults, wasn't it?"

"I can't remember," Dawn muttered, looking frustrated. "I mean, I think I could find the book pretty easily, but I don't remember what this symbol means."

"Perhaps some of this might be of assistance." Naphu's matter-of-fact voice cut into the conversation a moment before the cloth symbol was buried under a small stack of papers. They looked up to find Justin and Naphu standing on the other side of the desk. The half-demon tapped the stack with one claw. "They are mostly garbage, I think," she said. "Bills and blueprints of this building, and photocopies of some of the pages from the Slayer Handbook. But there is reference to an 'Eve' in a number of them."

Dawn's eyes lit up. "Eve!" She jumped up and down in excitement, wringing her hands. "Eve!" she said again. "I remember now, Willow. It was that cult with the bishop, remember? The guy that got executed under Konstantine. The, uh...the one who tried to make vampires into daywalkers. You know." She paused and frowned in frustration. "His name sounded like January, I think."

The witch's eyes widened in recognition. "Right! The Order of Januarius," she said, a broad grin spreading over her face. "And Eve...she was the only survivor of that cult. She was always trying to steal the blood of Januarius, until she disappeared back in the early 1400's." She scratched the back of her head. "I guess that cult isn't as extinct as we thought...but why would they be here? That blood stuff they were so obsessed with is kept in Italy somewhere."

Faith thumbed through the photocopied sheets, noting the highlighted lines. The underlined text seemed to all have to do with Slayers. "Looks like they decided to quit goin' after that, an' start goin' after vampire hunters," she said. "Maybe they decided to join the real world."

"Well, they haven't succeeded yet. They aren't very good at it, are they?" Dawn smirked.

The dark Slayer looked at her quietly. "They woulda got me, if Angel hadn't been there," she said. "An' what would that curse've done, if we hadn't broken up the party?"

Dawn's smile faded. "Yeah," she said slowly. "That curse could've been pretty ugly if it had been completed. It can cause wasting diseases, insanity...but they only had your pictures, and not actual physical pieces of you, so I'm not sure it would have worked anyway."

"Uh huh." Faith put down the papers.

Willow gathered up what they'd found. "Okay," she said, "let's call it a night. We should all get some rest so we're ready for whatever we need to do tomorrow night. I'll bring this stuff home. Dawn, Naphu, we'll need to do some serious researching on this cult. Meet me in the basement of iNiveus Lacuna/i at eight in the morning." She looked at Buffy. "You be careful. I'll keep an eye on Faith - make sure Dawn and Brian stay within shouting distance of you, okay? Someone with magical skill needs to be near you at all times until we've solved this."

"Okay." Buffy nodded quietly. "Come on, guys, let's go." She and Dawn left, closely followed by Naphu and Justin.

Faith slipped an arm around Willow's shoulders. Her eyes were still on the papers. For a few long minutes, the two simply stood there, enjoying each other's presence. "Did you say these guys are daywalkers?" the Slayer asked finally.

"No." The witch put her arm around Faith's waist and started walking out the door, gently tugging her girlfriend with her. "That's what they were trying to do when they were destroyed," she explained. "Some spell to make them impervious to sunlight. It didn't work. But I think they'd managed to make themselves impervious to crosses and holy water already, if I remember right."

"Damn," Faith muttered.

"It's okay," Willow said cheerfully, stepping into the elevator. "They're all dead. And a good stake in the heart still would've worked."

Faith thought about that. "How 'bout this Eve?"

"Mm. Well, no one's heard from her in six hundred years or so," the witch said thoughtfully. "But I guess that doesn't necessarily mean anything, does it? If she's still alive...er...undead, then it could be a problem. She's got that whole crosses-and-holy-water-can't-touch-me thing going on. Plus she'd be, what - nearly two thousand years old by now? Really powerful." The elevator doors opened again, and the two women stepped off it.

"She's alive," Faith said quietly, opening the door for the redhead. They stepped out onto the sidewalk together. "There's power behind this." Willow peered at her lover with a worried frown. "Hey, B's been havin' dreams, an' Dawn's been feelin' some weird rise in the dark magic mojo around here. Gotta be Eve, right?"

Willow blew out her cheeks in a gusty sigh. "I hope you're wrong, Faith," she said. "We haven't had to..."

i"Willow!"/i It was a desperate scream. The two jerked to attention - twin stakes leaped into Faith's hands, almost of their own accord. A lone figure staggered out from between two nearby buildings and lurched toward them. "Willow," it wailed again, in a distinctly feminine voice.

The redhead suddenly sprang forward, catching the ragged figure before it could collapse to the pavement. "Dawn!" Willow cried out, her voice full of shock and horror. "What happened?"

The young woman's face was ashen pale and covered with soot and blood. "I don't know," Dawn choked out. "W-we were just walking, and...and everything exploded. M-magic...I d-didn't have time to shield us...d-don't even know where it came from...everything just kept exploding...I think Naphu and J-Justin are dead." A sob choked her. "Oh God, Willow, I can't find Buffy!" Faith didn't wait to hear anything more. She took off between the buildings at a dead run.


	18. Chapter 18

Faith didn't think she'd ever run so hard in her life. Her feet barely seemed to touch the ground as she pelted up the alley. She could see the destruction up ahead - the charred pavement, the cracked walls, and a hapless tree that was blazing like a torch. In its light, she could make out two crumpled, motionless bodies lying in the street. Faith dashed up to the nearest one.

It was Justin. His limbs were splayed out, his eyes were closed, and the side of his head was covered with blood. Faith pressed her fingers to his throat - there was a faint pulse. Her head jerked up to regard the second prone form. Naphu's eyes were open and glazed, her face frozen in an expression of mild surprise. Her head was at an unnatural angle to her body. The sight made Faith's guts clench. She'd never gotten along with the calculating, rather irritating half-demon, but she'd grown to respect the woman's cool intellect and courage. With a shaking hand, Faith reached out and gently closed Naphu's eyes.

Then, girding herself, she rose to her feet. Her dark eyes raked over the destruction that surrounded her. "Buffy!" she yelled. "Buffy, where are ya?" Her grip on her stakes grew tighter as she listened. "Buffy?"

A sharp, staccato burst of gunfire broke out somewhere to Faith's left. Her heart leaped into her throat. _"Buffy!"_ In an instant, the dark Slayer was running again, heading for the place the shots had come from. She ducked around the corner into another alleyway. She thought she heard the sound of spiteful laughter nearby, but couldn't see anyone. Faith kept running. "C'mon, B, where you at?"

Her eye suddenly caught on a motionless form crumpled against the side of a building to her right. Faith's breathing nearly stopped. She fairly flew to it. Throwing herself to her knees, the Slayer reached out and turned the body onto its back. Buffy's head rolled lifelessly against Faith's knee. In the light of the street lamps, Faith could see that the front of the blond Slayer's bulletproof vest had been ripped open, and that her chest and torso were drenched with blood.

"Buffy." It was meant to be a primal scream, but the word drifted from Faith's lips as little more than a whisper. She couldn't move, couldn't speak, could barely even breathe. She knelt there in numb silence, one hand cradling the blond head, the other resting on the blood-slick front of Buffy's shirt. It felt wet and cold and slimy, nothing like the soft warmth that should have been there. Faith stared, unable to see anything but the pale stillness of the woman's face.

Hearing only the silence.

Running footsteps approached from behind. They stopped abruptly. "Oh, God." Willow's voice sounded weak. A moment later, Faith was being gently but firmly pushed aside, and the witch was leaning over Buffy's limp body. The dark Slayer simply stayed where she'd been pushed, her eyes still riveted on the blond. "Buffy?" Willow laid both her hands on the Slayer's bloody chest. "Stay with me, Buff. You're gonna be okay, all right? This might hurt, but it'll only be a minute, and then it'll be over." A faint, bluish glow surrounded the witch's hands. Faith's uncomprehending eyes watched as six little bits of metal slowly rose from Buffy's form - the glow stopped, and the bullets tinkled onto the pavement.

As the gentle light appeared once again - this time with a greenish tint - Faith finally recovered some of her senses. "Is she alive?" she whispered.

Willow's face, uplit by the green glow that pulsed from her hands, was grim. "Just." She shifted her grip. "Don't talk. Concentrating."

"Buffy." The voice was soft and quavering. Faith looked up. Dawn was standing at the end of the alley, leaning heavily against the wall. She looked tiny and beaten and scared. "Buffy..." Dawn's face crumpled.

The sight of the younger woman's distress pushed Faith's own trauma into the back of her mind. She staggered to her feet and quickly went to where Dawn stood. The Summers girl was badly injured; Faith put her arms around her and eased her down to sit on the concrete. Dawn dissolved into sobs, her body crumpling into Faith's. "Hey," Faith said hoarsely. "It's gonna be okay, Dawn. She's alive, a'right? Red'll fix 'er, you'll see. B's a tough customer. It's okay."

"It's my fault," Dawn choked out. "It's m-my fault...I was supposed to protect her. I wasn't even looking, Faith. Th-they're dead, and Buffy's dying, and it's all my fault."

"You got ambushed, kid." The dark Slayer hugged her close. "It ain't your fault. You didn't do nothin' wrong." There were sirens now, wailing in the night and growing steadily louder. "It's gonna be okay. Just relax, Dawn. You're hurt. Try an' chill out. B's gonna be a'right."

The next few minutes were a blur. The Council medical and evacuation teams arrived, and Naphu's body was reverently loaded into the back of one of their ubiquitous gray vans. Dawn and Justin were placed on stretchers and put in another one, which sped off to the hospital. Buffy's blood-spattered form was laid on a gurney - she was lifted up into a helicopter.

Willow's arm rested gently on Faith's shoulders as the sound of the chopper faded into the distance. "Come on, baby," the witch whispered. "Let's get back to my car and go to the hospital, okay?" Faith nodded numbly. The two of them walked in silence past the Council witches who were quickly repairing the damage to the street and nearby buildings.

It felt weird to be in the car. It was just far too normal a thing to be doing. Faith slumped in the passenger seat as if all the air had been let out of her body. Her dark eyes moved to Willow. The witch seemed calm. The Slayer blinked. "Red, how are you holdin' it together like this?" she whispered. "I...I don't get it."

Green eyes gave her a weary, rueful look. "I've been doing this all my life, Faith," Willow said quietly. "It's war. I don't grieve until it's time to grieve...and even then, I don't do it until it's safe. Until there's time." She turned her eyes back to the road. "You've been out of the war for a long time. It's harder for you, I think."

Faith stared at her for a few moments. "Maybe," she said at last. "Haven't been in a real battle since that thing with the Mayor. Guess I ain't really a soldier anymore."

"You are. You're just out of practice." Willow's voice was gentle. "Believe me, Faith, you are a warrior. Don't doubt that just because you're upset about...things." The witch swallowed noticeably.

The dark Slayer's grip tightened around the arm of her seat. "Is B gonna be okay?"

Silence. "I don't know." Neither of them spoke any more after that.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

It was so surreal. Faith looked over at the hospital bed with bleary eyes. Buffy had always seemed so much larger than life, with her courage and drive and passion and strength. Now, she looked like a frail little china doll, half buried under hospital blankets and clear plastic tubing and bandages. Tiny. Vulnerable.

Mortal.

Dawn had been released from the hospital after an overnight stay. She'd had some ugly cuts, a broken arm and a few second-degree burns, as well as a concussion. Justin had been hurt a lot worse, and had needed to stay in the hospital. He'd fractured his pelvis and two of his upper vertebrae, and suffered second-degree burns over most of his right leg. It would be a long time before he would hunt vampires again.

Naphu had been buried in a small ceremony yesterday afternoon. They had placed her in a plot that the Los Angeles branch of the new Watcher's Council had purchased. She now lay between a memorial dedicated to Tara Maclay and another that honored the Slayers who had fallen in battle to the First. Other Slayers were also buried there, including Kennedy, Willow's former lover.

Faith blinked wearily. It had been three days since she'd found Buffy lying in that alley in a pool of blood. The blond Slayer had been in a deep coma ever since. The doctors - including the Council physicians - weren't sure if she was going to make it. Willow's healing spells had been in time to keep the Slayer from bleeding to death, but she'd still lost a lot of blood, and there had been massive internal trauma.

The dark Slayer hadn't budged from this room since. Dawn, Brian and Hope were there for a few hours every day, and Angel had come a few times. Willow had, as well, although she was very busy trying to track down information on Eve and coordinate efforts to find and battle her. She'd told Faith that they were calling in a friend and old associate of theirs, a woman named Satsu, to help with those efforts. Evidently Satsu was the head of a team of Slayers in Tokyo, Japan. Faith hadn't really paid that much attention to any further details.

Rubbing her eyes, Faith got up and moved over to the bed. Buffy's eyes were closed. She was so pale that she seemed almost translucent. Her arms looked impossibly delicate as they lay there, each with an I.V. needle inserted at the back of the hand. Faith very gently grasped Buffy's fingers and bent over her. "Hey, B. It's Faith," she murmured into the blond Slayer's ear. "It's been three days now, girl. Long enough nap, doncha think?" She stroked Buffy's hand with her thumb. "You don't hafta jump right outta this bed, but I wish you'd wake up a little. Dawn's pretty worried about ya, y'know. An' Red's upset, even if she won't say nothin' about it yet." Buffy remained still and silent. Faith sighed and straightened up, giving her hand a gentle squeeze before laying it back down on the white bedspread.

There were footsteps behind her, which paused in the doorway. Faith turned to find herself looking at a stranger. It was a woman, perhaps in her late twenties, dressed in what looked like sleek, black body armor. There was a sheathed katana on her back. She had a youthful, heart-shaped face, smooth skin, and large, slanted, dark eyes surrounded by thick, black lashes. A shaggy mop of dark hair hung low over her forehead.

Faith blinked. "I guess you gotta be Satsu."

Gravely, the young woman moved forward and dropped a half-bow. "And you are Faith." She moved slowly beside the dark Slayer and looked down at the still form on the bed. Faith watched as she began to gently stroke Buffy's forehead. "She hasn't opened her eyes at all yet?"

"Nope." Faith's tone was weary. "Hasn't even twitched." There was a pause. Satsu continued in her soft petting of Buffy's hair, and Faith lifted a brow. "I take it you an' B have a history."

"We do," Satsu said quietly. "She is a good friend." Another pause. The Japanese girl bent down, kissed Buffy's forehead, and turned to face Faith. "We need you," she said simply. "There's to be a briefing at Willow's house. We've found out a lot more about what we're facing. I'm to bring you back for it."

"I ain't goin' nowhere," Faith growled. "I ain't leavin' B alone."

"She won't be alone, Faith," Satsu said. "Her husband and her daughter are here." The dark Slayer scowled. Satsu's gaze was both firm and compassionate. "We need all our fighters," she said. "The ones who did this to Buffy are powerful, but not invulnerable, and we're going to take them down. Your army needs you, Slayer."

Faith gave the Asian girl a look. "Which is all a big fancy way of sayin' I need t' get the hell outta here an' come help you kick that bitch Eve's ass for what she done to B, here. Right?"

Satsu smiled just a bit. Faith could detect the slightly predatory gleam in the young woman's eye that was so common to Slayers discussing a good fight. "That's a pretty accurate translation of it, yes."

"A'right." Faith brushed her hand over Buffy's shoulder. "I'm gonna go for a bit, then, B. Your boy toy an' your kid are gonna keep ya company for me. I'll bring back the bitch who did this to ya in an ashtray, deal?" She looked up at Satsu. "Lead the way."

Her fellow Slayer nodded quietly. "We will return here, Faith," she said. "Don't be concerned about that." Then she turned and led the way from the hospital room and down the corridor. They passed Buffy's husband, Brian, on the way. Faith eyed him. He was a tall, blond, broad-shouldered Irishman who looked more like a blacksmith or a football player than the high priest of a coven. When her gaze moved to the small girl with him, Faith found Hope's eyes meeting hers directly. Buffy's daughter very strongly resembled her mother, with honey-blond hair, a slim build, and delicately pretty features. She was more heavily muscled across the shoulders than Buffy had ever been, and there was something of her father in her strong brow and the blue of her eyes, but there was no mistaking who her mother was.

Faith averted her gaze, a little unnerved by the intensity of that gaze. _Goddamn, that kid's gonna be a force of nature when she hits sixteen,_ the dark Slayer mused. _She'll come into her Slayer strength then, if what Red told me's true. An' considerin' who her mom is...the demon world better watch out. Hell, maybe the whole world better watch out._ She breathed deeply and closed her eyes for a moment. _Gotta make sure her mom's still around by then t' be proud of 'er._

Satsu was driving a dark navy SUV. The two Slayers were silent for the most part for the first few minutes of the drive. Then the Japanese woman cast Faith a searching glance. "You have a thing for her, don't you?" Faith looked at her in startled confusion. "Buffy." Satsu's eyes were back on the road. "You have a thing for her."

The dark Slayer's lip curled. "Don't know that's any of your business."

"No. It isn't. Not really." Satsu glanced in the rearview mirror as she changed lanes. "I just know the symptoms." Her lips curved upward slightly. "Believe me, that woman's as straight as a rifle barrel. It isn't worth the heartache."

Faith studied her. "You were with 'er."

"Yeah. A few days." Satsu's dark eyes flicked to hers ruefully. "That's when she figured out for sure she was straight." The Japanese woman shrugged. "I had a hard time getting over her. I thought I'd save you the trouble, if you wanted to listen to a stranger's advice."

A bitter smile curved Faith's full lips. "Thanks for the tip," she said dryly. "But I wouldn't've had a chance with B even if she was queer as a plaid fuckin' rabbit." She rested her head back against the leather seat and watched the buildings slide be. "She's way the hell outta my league. I know that. I'm playin' for a friendship, an' I'd be damn lucky to get it. An' anyway, I already got an awesome girl."

Satsu pondered this. "I guess Buffy hasn't forgotten your time in Sunnydale."

"Ugh." Faith rolled her eyes plaintively. "Does everyone know about that? What the hell'd the Scoobies do, post it on fuckin' Facebook?"

Chuckling, the Asian girl shook her head. "No. But the story comes up every now and then in passing. You were kind of legendary, in a way. You know - The Dark Slayer, the one who went bad." Faith's eyebrows rose nearly to her hairline. Satsu's expression grew serious again. "What you did wasn't good," she said, "but you're not the only one to struggle with things like that. There've been others who chose the darkness. Slayers. Witches. And you fight with us, now." Dark eyes met Faith's for an instant. "That's good enough for me."

"Ain't good enough for everyone," Faith said quietly. "An' nothin' takes back what I did."

"No. We've all got to learn to live with ourselves," Satsu agreed. "But at some point, you have to decide that you're done beating yourself up. Then you have to take the lessons you've learned and move forward. That's what I think, anyway." She pulled the vehicle into a familiar driveway and killed the engine. "Let's go. I think we're late."

Faith scowled. "They can bite me." Satsu shot her an amused half-smile, and the two of them went into the house together.

The living room was already full. Dawn was sitting on the couch, in the company of two young women Faith didn't recognize. A certain indefinable air about them made Faith recognize them as Slayers. Angel had claimed the armchair. A kitchen chair beside it was occupied by a creature that was unmistakably a demon. Her hair was a pale, electric blue, and fell down to the middle of her back. Her eyes and lips were almost the same color. Her body looked almost as if it were encased in red leather armor, but there was a certain gloss to it that told Faith that it was the demon's actual skin, and not clothing at all. Faith gave her a hard look, which she returned in kind.

Willow, who had been sitting on the floor with her laptop, now got up to greet her lover. She grasped Faith gently by the front of her jacket and tugged her close for a kiss. "Hey, baby," she murmured, peering up into Faith's dark eyes. "How is she?"

"No change," Faith said quietly, breaking off her hostile stare at the demon to smile faintly at her girlfriend. "She ain't even twitched, Red. But it ain't any worse, either." Willow sighed and rested her forehead on Faith's chest. The dark Slayer let her arms encircle the witch's body. She enjoyed the closeness for a moment. _Guess I've been kinda neglecting my girl, here,_ she thought with a pang. _Wish there were two of me sometimes._ Then she kissed the top of the fiery head. "C'mon, babe. You gotta meeting t' run."

The witch sighed again, audibly. Then she patted Faith's side and turned. Faith went over to sit on the floor by the end of the couch where Dawn was. There was silence as Willow retrieved her laptop. Then she looked around the room. "Okay," she said. "I guess we should start with introductions, since not everybody here knows everybody else." She indicated the dark Slayer. "This is Faith, who's been with our team for the last three months. And this is Satsu, head of the Tokyo Slayer squad." Willow smiled at the Summers girl. "Dawn, do you want to introduce your friends?"

"Sure." Dawn patted the red-headed girl beside her on the knee. "This is Violet. She's in the New York squad. And that," indicating the young black woman next to Violet, "is Rona. She heads up the Chicago squad. They both fought with us against the First, and they're here to help us out until Buffy's feeling better again."

Faith eyed both the young women silently. Her eye slid over to Angel, and she lifted her brows at him. The vampire cleared his throat at the look. "I'm Angel," he said, "as you all know. This is Illyria." He waved a hand lightly in the direction of the blue-haired creature beside him. "She's one of the Old Ones, an ancient demon. She's been helping us at Angel Investigations for over ten years, now. I thought she might be helpful."

_Illyria._ The dark Slayer regarded the demon coolly. She would work with demons if she had to, but she never trusted them - not after all that had happened with the Mayor. Illyria's pale blue eyes met hers and narrowed slightly. Faith gave her a faint sneer before looking away.

"Okay." Willow had hooked her computer up to the big screen again. She tapped a few keys. "Here's what we know so far," she said. Pictures and text began to flash across the screen - scans of old scrolls and pages out of ancient books. "We're dealing with the Order of Januarius," she said. "It's a vampire cult that everyone thought was extinct. Januarius is a saint in the world of Catholicism, a bishop who was martyred in about 305 AD. The real story's a little more complicated than that."

"Always is." Satsu leaned against the wall and folded her arms across her chest with an air of knowing resignation.

Willow flicked to another picture. "Bishop Januarius was a vampire. He was turned sometime between 298 and 299 AD. He decided that he wanted to remove the weaknesses of the vampire race, and so he delved into black magic - particularly things like the Black Mass, and other stuff related to early Catholicism, although he dabbled some in Kabbalah as well, and some more ancient stuff out of Babylon. We know that because of the description of some rituals they were doing. See, they took this brass..." Willow suddenly stopped, seeing the eyes of her audience beginning to glaze over. She cleared her throat. "Um, sorry. Magic geek," she said meekly.

Faith chuckled. "No prob, babe."

"Right. Back on track girl, that's me." Willow coughed a little. "Basically, the guy gained a following of turned monks and nuns, and they did a bunch of rituals that removed their vulnerability to crosses and holy water. Their goal was to turn vampires into an indestructible master race, and keep human beings basically as cattle. They were working on a really huge spell that would've taken away their vulnerability to sunlight when they were attacked by a group called the Apostles. That was a Catholic group that was kind of like the third century's answer to the Ghostbusters. Only they were governed a bit more like a terrorist cell...the Catholic Church wasn't the world power yet, not for another century or two. Anyway, the Apostles busted up the ritual and killed all of the vampires involved, except for Januarius and a couple of his inner-circle vampires. They were beheaded after the whole feeding them to wild animals thing didn't work out so well."

The witch clicked on a new window and read for a minute or two to refresh her memory. "Januarius didn't die like a normal vampire, though," she went on. "His flesh turned to dust, but his blood and bones didn't. A woman named Eusebia, a powerful witch who realized that wasn't normal, gathered them up. The Apostles took the blood and bones from her soon after that, and everyone disappeared from written history for a while." Willow paused. "And that brings us to Eve."

Faith leaned forward a little, her interest sharpening. The images on the screen showed an old woodcut of a small girl in a nun's habit, a medieval painting of a large group of people seemingly at battle, and three photographs. One was of an olive-skinned girl walking at night underneath a palm tree, wearing stonewashed jeans and a garish red leather jacket. The other was of the same girl getting into a black car, wearing black leather pants, a white silk shirt, and a long, black trench coat. The last was the one Angel had given them. She was pretty and small, and looked to be in her early or mid-teens in all the pictures.

"This," Willow said quietly, "is Eve. No one really knows that much about where she came from. We do know that her name was originally Sophia, and that she changed it to Eve when Januarius turned her and took her into his inner circle. She was the only one of the Order who survived the attack by the Apostles. No one actually knew that she was still alive until she turned up again in 1099. Apparently it was thought that the Apostles had hidden the blood of Januarius somewhere near the Western Wall of the Temple in Jerusalem, and Eve showed up there the minute Jerusalem was taken out of Muslim hands. The Apostles forced her to retreat." Willow clicked on another series of images and scanned pages. "She made a few more unsuccessful attempts. In 1187, when Saladin took over Jerusalem, she finally succeeded in getting what she thought was the blood - but it was a fake. The Apostles had hidden the actual blood somewhere else."

The dark Slayer's brows knitted. "What does all this have t' do with LA, Red? What in hell's psycho vampire chick doin' over here huntin' Slayers?"

"We'll get to that," Willow said patiently. "This is the background. It's important to understand the enemy." The images on the screen flickered and changed again. "In 1389, a miracle was recorded in Naples, Italy, when the blood of Saint Januarius was revealed to change from a solid to a liquid. Once a year, this miracle was repeated in a ceremony. Word of this yearly ceremony started to get around, and in 1420, Eve made an attempt to get the blood again. The Apostles drove her away, and she pretty much disappeared. It was assumed that she was dead."

Dawn blinked at the image, a medieval sketch of men in monk robes driving back an evil-looking creature with swords. "Guess she wasn't though, huh?"

"Evidently not." Willow flicked back to the photographs. "This picture of her getting into a car was taken a couple of weeks ago by a freelance demon hunter, and this one by Angel's people. We used her facial profile to search our international database, and came up with this other photo. It was taken in Miami, Florida, in 1985. No one really knows what she's doing here in the US, or what she wants." She scratched her nose. "Other than trying to kill Buffy and Faith, obviously."

"I don't see what's so odd about it." Illyria's voice was slightly hoarse. It carried a note of cool detachment that reminded Faith uncomfortably of Naphu. "All know why she needs the blood. Think about how that ties in with killing the Chosen Two."

Everyone in the room looked at the impassive demoness. There was an awkward silence for a while. Then Angel cleared his throat. "Um...actually, I don't think we do know why she needs the blood, Illyria."

She looked at him with something like scornful disbelief. "You walked in the demon world for hundreds of years and you never heard of it?" Illyria looked around impatiently. "And _you,_ witch - you should be able to guess it easily. Did you not research the ritual the Order was performing when they were interrupted?"

"Uh...well..." Willow looked both confused and annoyed. "Yes. It was a version of the Black Mass, mixed up with an Egyptian protection spell and a Babylonian ritual invoking the sun. What's that got to do with it?"

Illyria laughed derisively. "And the lead spellcaster takes the power of the ritual into his or her own body before releasing it to the rest of the casters in the circle, yes?"

"Oh." The redhead's eyes widened suddenly. _"Oh!_ Well, that's not good."

Dawn blanched. "Oh, no..."

Faith looked from Illyria to Willow to Dawn. "Hey, one of you witchie-poo wand wavers wanna let the rest of us in on this little secret?"

"The ritual was interrupted," Illyria said impatiently. "Therefore the magic was never released. Therefore the power of that ritual is still contained in the blood that Eve is after. How in the hell have you humans survived this long being this stupid?"

Angel rubbed his face tiredly. "Nice, Illyria."

Willow didn't seem to be listening. Her face was crumpled into an adorable, thoughtful little pout. (Or, at least, Faith found it adorable.) "Well, that explains what she wants with that blood in Naples. She wants to complete that spell thing to make herself immune to sunlight. But she's here instead of in Italy. She's tried to kill Faith and Buffy a couple of times now...there's a whole bunch of her Order followers here in LA. Why would she just suddenly change her goal like that?"

Illyria rolled her eyes. "Spare me." She rested her elbow on the chair's armrest and lolled her head onto her hand. "Let's think a minute, small-brained mortals. An ancient vampire with almost all of her vulnerabilities removed who wants to rule the world - whatever would she be doing in a country that is arguably the military superpower of the planet, trying to take out two of its most powerful agents against the Hellmouths?"

There was a smothered laugh from Rona. She was plainly enjoying the demon's sarcasm. Violet frowned thoughtfully. "I can see why someone would think that about Buffy," she said slowly. "I mean, she's the most powerful Slayer in the history of Slayers, and everyone knows everything she's done. But Faith...er...doesn't exactly seem to fall into the same category. She hasn't even been in the loop for almost two decades."

"Yeah, that's right." Faith's voice was quiet. She looked at the demon calmly. "I ain't a slouch with a stake, but I ain't anywhere near B's calibre, Smurfette."

The disgusted disbelief in Illyria's face was almost palpable. She looked at Angel. "Do they really not know?" she asked incredulously.

He looked uncomfortable. "No," he said, tight-lipped. "I'm pretty sure they don't."

"How can they possibly not know?" The demoness turned her stare back to Faith. "How can _you_ possibly not know? Haven't you shared visions? Don't you feel the power in the connection?"

"Buh...what?" Faith stared at her in bewilderment.

"You and Buffy Summers," Illyria said impatiently. "You are the Chosen Two. Tell me you've never noticed the power increase when you're together. Tell me you don't feel the connection." The dark Slayer's brow furrowed. "Gods and devils!" the demoness exclaimed, thoroughly exasperated. "What is _wrong_ with humans? Those few of you who do manage to lay hands on a pittance of power never even seem to realize or properly employ it." She pointed at Faith with exaggerated movements, as if explaining something to a very stupid child. "You are part of each other. Your essence is linked. Individually you are only Slayers. Together you are the Chosen Two. You share a spirit. Together, you share a great power. And both of you already know it, but for some reason you've obviously never used it. Pitiful!"

Faith stared at her, trying to make sense of the words. She knew she'd always felt a powerful attraction to Buffy, whether the emotion behind it had been love or hate. And she knew that battle was never as exhilarating as when she fought alongside the blond Slayer. But what Illyria was talking about seemed to run deeper than that.

Illyria wasn't finished. She turned on Willow. "And you!" she said, her pale blue eyes beginning to glow with an unearthly light. "You are _formidilosus._ You know it. You fight it, but you cannot. It's what you are. Pretense will fail you. Denial will fail you. You will use what you have and become what you are, whether you wish it or not." The demoness rose to her feet and looked around the room in disgust. "You wish my advice? Stop quibbling and use the power available to you. There is power enough in this room to topple and destroy civilizations and worlds, and you hide from one country's puny government, and whimper about one little vampire who knows how to read a spellbook. Humans!" She threw up her hands and stalked from the room.

Angel rose to his feet and cleared his throat awkwardly. "Sorry. Temper," he said wryly. "Excuse me for a minute." He followed after the demoness.

"Wow." Faith blinked. "What d'you think she..." Then her eye fell on Willow. The witch was as white as a sheet. Her pupils had shrunk to mere pinpricks in her green eyes, and her body was visibly shaking. "Red!" The Slayer sprang up just as Willow's knees gave way. She caught Willow's slender body in time to keep her from falling to the floor. The witch's fingers curved into fists, clutched on handfuls of Faith's t-shirt. With great tenderness and concern, Faith knelt down and cradled her lover, forgetting about everyone else. "Willow," she said softly. "What is it, babe? What's wrong?"

The redhead's body convulsed with a single, deep sob. _"Formidilosus,"_ she choked. "God." And she buried her face into Faith's chest. Her trembling grew more pronounced.

Faith didn't know what was going on, but she knew that Willow was deeply upset. She looked up at the couch to meet Dawn's anxious eyes. "Hey, uh...d'you mind takin' over the meeting for a minute, Dawn?" she asked quietly. "Thinkin' I need t' take care of my girl." The Summers girl nodded with a stricken expression. "You sure you're up to it?" Faith searched the young woman's face. Dawn nodded again.

The dark Slayer accepted that. She slipped her arms around Willow's shoulders and knees and scooped her up, cradling her against her chest. Willow didn't speak or respond as the Slayer carried her away from the noise and the light, into the cool darkness upstairs.


	19. Chapter 19

As brusque and aggressive as Faith was capable of being, she had a carefully-hidden tender side. That side was readily apparent now. She carried the shivering woman into her bedroom. Willow was arguably the most powerful witch in the world, and yet she felt tiny and delicate in Faith's strong arms. It was a contrast that always brought out Faith's protective instincts. Very gently, Faith stripped her down and dressed her in the soft t-shirt and silk boxers the witch favored as sleepwear. Then she laid Willow down in her bed and drew the covers over her. The witch clung to her arm with pitiful desperation.

The dark Slayer bent down and kissed Willow's forehead. Her hand stroked soothingly through fine, soft strands of red hair. "It's a'right, Willow," Faith said, speaking her lover's name in tender, deliberate tones. The guilt of having virtually abandoned Willow for the last few days grew stronger. "If you want me t' stay, I ain't goin' nowhere. It's gonna be okay."

"Faith." Willow pulled her down and put her arms around her lover's neck, hugging her as hard as she could. "Faith..."

"It's okay, lover." The Slayer tried to straighten up, but Willow refused to loosen her hold, and Faith was unwilling to break it. In the end, the dark Slayer wound up sitting cross-legged on the bed, holding her girlfriend's blanket-swathed form in her lap like a child's. Willow's eyes were closed, but there were lines of tension still around her eyes and mouth, and her body still trembled a bit.

Finally, the shivering stopped. Willow slowly released her death grip on Faith's neck and shoulders and slumped down in her arms, cuddling against her. Gently, Faith kissed the top of Willow's head. "You ready t' tell me what's wrong, Red?" she murmured.

"I'm sorry." The witch sounded very subdued. "I didn't mean to lose it like that."

"I know that, babe. You hold it together real good most of the time." The dark Slayer gazed down at her with gentle affection. "But things've really sucked a lot lately. You got a right t' cry sometimes, too."

The witch flushed scarlet. "It's...not like that. I mean, it is, a little...maybe it wouldn't have affected me so bad if...if Buffy wasn't hurt, and all," she said, looking away. She was plainly ashamed. "I just haven't been called that in a long time. I always wished it would go away, but...I guess it never will." Willow's jaw worked. "I guess I am what I am. Nothing can make that disappear."

Faith was puzzled. "What're you talkin' about? D'you mean that three-dollar word that Smurfette called ya?"

_"Formidilosus."_ Willow's tone was flat and lifeless. "You remember what I told you? About how I had to study with that coven in Devon, and controlling my powers?" Faith could barely hear her, even with her Slayer-enhanced senses. She bent her head closer to Willow's lips and nodded. "It's...not a matter of just controlling the streams of power from outside of myself," the witch whispered. "I'm a _formidilosus._ I'm not a person with power, Faith. I _am_ the power."

The dark Slayer didn't really understand, but she could see that the subject hurt and frightened Willow deeply. She smoothed her lover's hair and kissed her forehead, trying to comfort her the only way she could. "What d'you mean, Willow? I don't get it."

The redhead closed her eyes. "I don't _do_ magic," she said quietly. "I _am_ magic. My essence is pretty much literally made of magic. Even if I'd never studied witchcraft, my powers would still have burst out sometime around the time I turned sixteen. I have to be so careful, Faith. Sometimes my thoughts become spells, and things happen...I don't even have to speak or act." She breathed deeply. "That's why I have to stay away from dark magic, Faith. It's because I don't just 'perform black magic.' I become it. It becomes me..."

Faith held her close and continued to stroke her hair soothingly. She didn't speak for a while. "I ain't a witch," she said finally. "I don't have half the mojo you got goin' on, Red. I don't get the magic thing. But..." The dark Slayer hesitated. "I know what it's like t' have darkness in here," she said huskily. She tugged Willow's hand up to rest on her chest. Their eyes met, starkly knowing. "I know what it's like t' hafta fight that, an' shove it down, an' push it back...an' I know what it's like to fail, an' fall, an' hafta get up to keep goin', all bloody an' bruised. I know what it's like to fight that fight alone." Faith swallowed hard. "I know what it's like t' have deaths on your conscience. An' you know it, too. I get that you're scared, babe."

"B-but...there's more." The little witch was trembling again. "I still struggle, Faith. No one knows, not even Buffy, but...I still wake up in the morning sometimes, and I feel it. The magic's crackling under my skin, and...I want to feel the power surging through me. I want to see terror in people's eyes when they look at me. I want...I want..."

There were tears, now. Willow closed her eyes again, and Faith very gently brushed the moisture from her cheeks. "I've seen stuff," the dark Slayer said. "I mean, I know I've been in the clink for a while, but...I been near some seriously evil stuff, Red. I've had it inside me. I know what it feels like." She bent to kiss her lover's damp eyelids. "An' I don't feel it in you."

"It's there." Willow gazed up at her in anguish.

"It might want ya, babe." Faith's own eyes were stinging. "The dark might want ya, but it ain't you. Believe me, I know the difference." She tightened her hold on Willow's warm body. "I know I ain't some saint," she said softly. "But I got experience in fightin' off that darkness, Willow. You've been here for me. I'm here for you, too."

The witch stared at her for a few moments. Then she smiled through her tears, her lip quivering. She reached up, took Faith's face between her hands, and kissed her softly on the mouth. Her emerald eyes gazed into Faith's dark ones. "I love you so much."

The power of speech almost left the Slayer. It was the first time Willow had said that to her. She swallowed. "Love you too, Red."

Willow stroked Faith's arm. "It's really dangerous, Faith," she murmured. _"I'm_ really dangerous sometimes."

Faith smiled. "So'm I."

"No, really." Willow's eyes filled with tears again. "Really. Y-you don't understand, Faith. You've never...seen how I get when I...when it's _bad."_

"Tryin' t' talk me outta stayin' with ya, Red?" Faith asked gently. "It ain't gonna work. I'm kinda stubborn like that, y'know. I mighta been the run-away-girl way back when, but I ain't no more." Willow started to speak again, but Faith forestalled it by pressing her own lips against hers and kissing her, long and tenderly. After a while, she felt Willow's body relax. She smiled against the witch's mouth. Sitting back, she gazed down into green eyes that were now soft and wet. "Don't you go thinkin' this for-vida-loca thing's gonna make me drop ya. You're a package deal, Red."

_"Formidilosus."_

"Whatever." Faith lightly nipped Willow's lower lip. "I ain't goin' nowhere. You're helpin' me fight, babe, and I'm gonna do the same for you, if y'ever need it. That's the way it's gonna be. You're strong, an' gorgeous, an _good._ An' don't you ever let no damn mouthy blue-haired smurf demon tell ya any different. You got me?" And she brought down her dark brows in a scowl.

Willow gave a faint giggle. "Okay," she said softly.

"A'right, then." The witch still looked exhausted, but at least she was smiling a little. Faith cuddled her for another minute or two. "Now, I'm gonna tuck you in your bed an' bring you up a little nightcap, an' you're gonna get some sleep," she said. "I ain't really slept since B got hurt, an' I bet you haven't, either."

"I can't," Willow protested as Faith lowered her onto the bed. "F-Faith, I...there's the meeting, and...and Buffy needs..."

"It's covered, babe. I'll tell you if anythin' new comes up downstairs. An' you killin' yourself by not sleeping ain't doin' B any good." The dark Slayer tucked the blanket neatly around the witch's slim body and fixed her with a mock glare. "I'm your damn girlfriend, an' I got the right t' take care of ya. So stay the hell in this bed." She stroked her fingers through Willow's silky red hair again, her gaze softening as Willow lay back with a pout. "Gimme a minute, babe," she said gently. "Be right back."

Faith could hear the voices in the living room from the kitchen as the meeting continued. She poured milk into a glass and popped it into the microwave. As it heated, she dug in a cupboard for sugar and nutmeg, and then in the liquor cabinet for a bottle of Kahlua. When the microwave beeped, she mixed the drink carefully. Then she headed back up the stairs to deliver the nightcap to her lover.

Willow's eyes were soft and grateful as she accepted the warm drink. "Thanks," she murmured, and took a few sips. She smiled up at Faith. "This is really good."

"It'll help ya relax." The Slayer bent to kiss her, tasting the sweet creaminess of the alcohol on her lips. "So chill out up here, Red, an' drink up, an' then get some sleep," she said. "I'll handle stuff downstairs for ya. You'll be back in the driver's seat tomorrow, an' you'll thank me for this."

"I'll thank you for it now." Willow hugged her with her free arm and kissed her cheek. "I love you, Faith."

"Love you, too." The words flowed much more easily the second time. Faith squeezed her. "G'night." With that, she left her lover in the darkened bedroom and headed back downstairs.

The group fell silent as Faith entered the living room. Illyria and Angel had returned and resumed their former places. The dark Slayer locked eyes with the blue-haired demoness and glared. "You lay the hell off Red," she growled, narrowing her eyes. "Nobody comes into Red's house an' disses 'er - not when I'm around. Got it?"

Illyria looked faintly amused. "You threaten me, mortal?"

"Damn straight," Faith snapped.

"Faith." Angel gave her a warning look.

The demoness favored Faith with a superior smirk. "I will observe your social conventions and not speak the truth to your sexual partner, Slayer." She folded her arms across her chitinous, scarlet chest. "It still remains the truth."

"Fuck you. What the hell do you know about Willow, Bluebell?" Faith snarled.

_"Okay._ Could we quit with the posturing and talk business for a minute?" Dawn's voice was sharp. "I'd like for us to maybe track down the bitch who shot down my sister at some point."

The dark Slayer turned her glare on the younger woman for a moment before she blinked, and the hostility fell away like a cloak. She blushed a little and let her gaze fall from Dawn's flashing eyes. The Summers girl was her trainer, after all, and she owed her a certain amount of respect. Plus Dawn had to be under a lot of strain right now. She wasn't helping by starting something with the demoness. Faith felt a bit ashamed of herself, although she wasn't sorry that she'd defended Willow's honor. "Sorry, Dawn," she muttered. Without another word, Faith sat down on the floor and waited for the meeting to continue.

The group talked quietly for about another hour. Not a lot of new information was presented, but they came up with a tentative plan of action. Rona and Violet would take over the patrol of Buffy, Justin and Naphu's old slaying territory. Dawn and Satsu would join Faith on her route, which would be expanded by four square blocks to take some of the burden off Rona and Violet. Dawn and Willow would contact and work with Brian's coven to track down places where Eve might have been working rituals with her followers, and hopefully find her that way. Angel Investigations promised to hit every demon bar and club in the city and try to find out anything they could, as well.

Faith rubbed her chin as the talk went on. "What about Italy?" Dawn, who had been in the middle of discussing the finer details of the new slaying routes, stopped and looked at her. "Italy," Faith explained. "Y'know, where this Eve chick hails from. Betcha someone down there can find somethin' out about 'er, or knows it already. An' England. She's got the accent, she'd hafta spend a lotta time there t' get that."

"Right." Dawn nodded thoughtfully. "That's a good point, Faith. Get Willow to contact the Council in London and Rome, and see what they can find out. Maybe some of Eve's operatives are still going over there." Faith jerked her head in a brief nod. The younger Summers girl consulted her watch. "Well, it's getting late. We'd probably better break this up for tonight," she said. "Rona, Violet, you guys can stay at my place. I'll drop you off there on my way to the hospital." She looked at Faith. "Do you mind if Satsu stays here, Faith? There isn't really room for four in my apartment..."

"No prob," Faith said quietly.

It took another half-hour or so to see everyone off and get Satsu set up in Faith's bedroom. The dark Slayer had decided that would be the best place to put her, since she herself tended to spend most nights in Willow's bed, anyway. When the work was finally done, Faith let herself silently into Willow's bedroom. She closed the door behind her and leaned against it, her eyes on the huddled form in the bed.

Willow was lying on her side facing the door, her body curled up. Her left hand rested on the pillow, the fingers curved into a soft fist. She looked innocent. Faith studied her in silence, marvelling at her beauty, and savoring the protective affection that welled up in her own heart. She knew, of course, that the witch was more than capable of defending herself. Willow wielded tremendous magical power. But Faith was also coming to know the tender heart that beat in Willow's breast, and she knew how sensitive the woman was. The little redhead was easily hurt in some ways - and she was hurting now, Faith knew. She could see the telltale lines of stress around Willow's eyes and mouth, even as she slept.

Silently, her movements as graceful as a cat's, the Slayer stripped down and slipped in beneath the covers. She spooned herself against the witch's back and put her arm around the slender waist. Willow stirred and grumbled something in her sleep. Faith went very still, but it was too late. A moment or two later, the smaller woman turned over and cuddled herself into Faith's body. The Slayer bit her lip, feeling just a touch guilty. "Hey," she murmured.

"Faith." The witch's voice was sleepy.

"Didn't mean to wake you up, babe," Faith said quietly. She kissed Willow's forehead. "Go back to sleep."

The little witch grunted. To Faith, it was an impossibly cute sound. "They all go home?" she murmured, her lips moving against Faith's throat.

"Yeah. Everyone 'cept Satsu," the Slayer said. "I put 'er up in my room. Hope you don't mind." Willow mumbled something that sounded vaguely positive. Faith's arms held the smaller woman close. One of her hands slid up beneath the soft cotton of Willow's shirt and began to trace gentle circles on the warm, smooth skin of her back. "Just go to sleep, lover," she whispered. "I'll take care of ya, a'right?"

Willow cuddled closer. "Love you." Her voice was very faint now, the words slurred and groggy. "So much." Faith kissed her cheek. "Don' d'serve...you..."

"Nah. You don't." The dark Slayer slid her hand up from Willow's back to stroke through her soft red hair, petting her like a kitten. "You shoulda had someone way better. But I'm gonna hafta do for now. Sleep now, pretty babe." She could feel the witch's muscles turning to water, and she smiled. "Atta girl, baby."

But there was one more thing. Faith felt Willow's head lean back. Looking down, she found the half-closed, sleepy eyes meeting hers. The little witch looked _so_ vulnerable and worried. "You love me," Willow whispered, "even if I'm evil?"

In that moment, Faith hated Illyria with a burning passion. She held her girlfriend's exhausted gaze, never pausing in her gentle stroking of her hair. "Forever. I ain't goin' nowhere." The words flowed easily from lips that had once sworn that she would never let herself be tied down. Faith smiled - her real, heartfelt smile, and not the hard-as-glass one she usually turned to the world. "But you ain't evil, Willow. You never could be."

This seemed to be the right answer. Willow cuddled down against her lover's body and closed her eyes. Within seconds she was deeply asleep, one arm thrown possessively over Faith's waist. Her head was snuggled into the crook of Faith's shoulder, and the Slayer could feel her warm breath ghosting across her collarbone. Faith smiled and closed her own eyes. She felt deeply blessed. _Dunno how I rated bein' with Red,_ she thought, _but God, am I glad I did...so glad._ She kissed the top of Willow's head, breathing in her sweetly strawberry scent before she, too, settled down to sleep.


End file.
